The Lord Crickhowell | |
|---|---|
 Edwards in 2017 | |
| Secretary of State for Wales | |
| In office 4 May 1979 – 13 June 1987 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | John Morris |
| Succeeded by | Peter Walker |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Wales | |
| In office 18 February 1975 – 4 May 1979 | |
| Leader | Margaret Thatcher |
| Succeeded by | John Morris |
| Member of theHouse of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| In office 15 October 1987 – 17 March 2018 Life Peerage | |
| Member of Parliament forPembrokeshire | |
| In office 18 June 1970 – 18 May 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Desmond Donnelly |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Bennett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Roger Nicholas Edwards (1934-02-25)25 February 1934 London, England |
| Died | 17 March 2018(2018-03-17) (aged 84) London, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Roger Nicholas Edwards, Baron Crickhowell,PC (25 February 1934 – 17 March 2018) was aBritish Conservative Party politician who served as an MP from 1970 until 1987 and asSecretary of State for Wales during the first two terms of theThatcher government.[1]
Edwards was born in 1934 inHighgate, London, to Ralph Edwards and Marjorie Ingham Brooke.[2] He was educated atWestminster School and, after completingNational Service in theRoyal Welch Fusiliers, atTrinity College, Cambridge, graduating in history in 1957.[3][4] He was a director of William Brandt's insurance brokers and became a member of Lloyd's in 1965.[5][6]
Edwards left insurance to takeDesmond Donnelly's old seat of Pembroke and served as Secretary of State for Wales inMargaret Thatcher's first and second administrations.[4]
He was adopted by the Pembrokeshire Conservative Party as parliamentary candidate for Pembroke in 1968.[7]
At the1970 general election, he was elected to theHouse of Commons asMember of Parliament forPembrokeshire, which he represented until his retirement at the1987 general election.[4] From 1975 to 1979, he wasOpposition Spokesman for Welsh Affairs (in other words, theShadowSecretary of State for Wales).[5] When Margaret Thatcher becamePrime Minister in 1979, Edwards was appointed Secretary of State for Wales.[5] He served in that position until 1987, when he was given alife peerage, being created on 15 October 1987 asBaron Crickhowell, of Pont Esgob in theBlack Mountains and County ofPowys.[5][8]
Lord Crickhowell was the sole chairman of theNational Rivers Authority (NRA) from its inception in 1989 until its merger into the newly createdEnvironment Agency in 1996.[9] Although his was a direct political appointment from the Conservative government, Lord Crickhowell showed commitment to the principles of the NRA and the legislation that it enforced.[4] He spoke in favour of the natural environment and supporting strong enforcement action against major corporate polluters.[4]
During the 1990s, Lord Crickhowell became a leading figure in the campaign for a permanent home for theWelsh National Opera in Cardiff.[10] When the plans were rejected by the Government in 1995, he launched a public attack on his former Conservative colleagues.[11][12]
Lord Crickhowell sat in theHouse of Lords as a life peer for over 30 years from 1987 until his death in 2018, making his last appearance in September 2017.[13] He had been associated with many British institutions, including theUniversity of Wales, Cardiff (now Cardiff University), where he was awarded an honoraryfellowship in 1984 and served aspresident from 1988 to 1998.[14][4][5] He received an honoraryLL.D. from theUniversity of Glamorgan in 2001.[15][16]
In 1963, Edwards married Ann Healing, and they had three children.[2]
Edwards died from cancer inBattersea on 17 March 2018, at the age of 84.[2][17] A memorial service was held at St Margaret's Church Westminster on 23 October 2018.[18]
{{cite book}}:|website= ignored (help)| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forPembrokeshire 1970–1987 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Wales 1979–1987 | Succeeded by |
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_(St_Edwards_Crown).svg)
