John MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market

The Right Honourable
The Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market
OBE PC FKC
The Right Honourable The Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market OBE PC FKC
	Parliamentary portrait, 2018
Prime Minister
Ministerial Offices 1979–1994
Secretary of State for Transport
	In office; 11 April 1992 – 20 July 1994
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Malcolm Rifkind
Succeeded by	Brian Mawhinney
Leader of the House of Commons; Lord President of the Council
	In office; 2 November 1990 – 11 April 1992
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher; John Major
Preceded by	Geoffrey Howe
Succeeded by	Tony Newton
Secretary of State for Education and Science
	In office; 24 July 1989 – 2 November 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Kenneth Baker
Succeeded by	Kenneth Clarke
Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
	In office; 13 June 1987 – 24 July 1989
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Michael Jopling
Succeeded by	John Gummer
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
	In office; 2 September 1985 – 13 June 1987
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Peter Rees
Succeeded by	John Major
Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
	In office; 4 May 1979 – 5 January 1981
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Member of Parliament ; for South Norfolk
	In office; 28 February 1974 – 14 May 2001
Preceded by	John Hill
Succeeded by	Richard Bacon
Personal details
Born	14 February 1937 (age 87); London, England
Political party	Conservative
Alma mater	University of St Andrews; King's College London

John Roddick Russell MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, OBE, PC, FKC (born 14 February 1937), is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Norfolk from 1974 to 2001. He served in the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury (1985–87), Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1987–89), Secretary of State for Education and Science (1989–90), Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council (1990–92), and Secretary of State for Transport (1992–94). He was made a life peer in 2001.

Early life

MacGregor was educated at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh,^[1] then at the University of St Andrews (MA economics and history, 1959) and at King's College London (LLB, 1962). Prior to the 1979 general election he worked for Hill Samuel, a merchant bank.^[2]

Member of Parliament

MacGregor became an MP at the February 1974 General Election,^[3] and served as a Tory whip from 1977 to 1981, when he became a junior minister at the Department of Trade and Industry, moving to MAFF in 1983.

In government

MacGregor entered the Cabinet on 2 September 1985 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and was made Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1987 – during the BSE crisis. He was promoted to Secretary of State for Education and Science in July 1989. In the small reshuffle following the resignation of Sir Geoffrey Howe, he was made Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council just days before Thatcher's own resignation. He continued in this position from 1990 to 1992, although William Keegan writes that he was a contender for the position of Chancellor when John Major came to power.^[4]

MacGregor was appointed Secretary of State for Transport in 1992, remaining in the post until July 1994 when was dismissed from the cabinet. His time as Transport Secretary saw him given responsibility for the privatisation of British Rail and the decision to privatise the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).^[5] He was made a life peer as Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, of Pulham Market in the County of Norfolk on 5 July 2001.^[6]^[7] He sat in the House of Lords until his retirement on 26 July 2019.^[8]

Honours

MacGregor was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1971 New Year Honours for political services.^[9]

Coat of arms of John MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market
Crest A boar rampant Azure armed langued and crined Or bearing a lyre Or stringed Argent.^[10] Escutcheon Argent a sword in bend Azure hilted and pommelled Or surmounted by an oak tree eradicated and fructed Proper its trunk enfiled with five antique crowns of the third on a chief per pale Vert and Gules two portcullises chains pendent of the third. Supporters A stag Gules bearing a magician's wand Sable tipped Argent and having about its neck a chain from which is pendent a money purse Or sinister a winged lion guardant Or also bearing a magicians's wand Sable tipped Argent and having about its neck a chain from which is pendent a close book Gules. Motto To Thyself Aye True

Personal interests

MacGregor is an accomplished magician and member of the Magic Circle. His passion for magic started when he was given a conjuring set at the age of 11. He gave regular performances on British television, including guest spots on The Best of Magic and an annual children's charity programme on Anglia Television.^[11]

References

^ "How charitable status has boosted the income of Scotland's top private schools" The Herald (Glasgow); 28 February 2008; Andrew Denholm, Brian Donnelly; p. 5
^ Debretts, The Rt Hon the Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market, OBE
^ "Theodore Mallinson" The Times (London); 22 Oct 2008; p. 61
^ "Business & Media: Mr Lamonts darkest day" The Observer (London); 22 Jul 2007; William Keegan; p. 6. "For Major it was simple: of four possibilities, neither Chris Patten nor Ken Clarke had any Treasury experience. John MacGregor and Lamont were 'both credible candidates'"
^ Hansard Wednesday 30 March 1994 Col 750–751 https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1994-03-30/Writtens-1.html
^ "No. 56270". The London Gazette. 10 July 2001. p. 8123.
^ "Life Baronies", The Times (London); 9 Jul 2001; p. 14
^ "Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
^ "No. 45262". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1971. p. 11.
^ Debrett's Peerage. 2015. p. 796.
^ Macintyre, Donald (24 January 1993). "Profile: And for his next trick…: John MacGregor - The Transport Secretary will need more than his magician's skill to make a success of rail privatisation". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2016.

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John MacGregor
House of Commons biography
Appearances on C-SPAN

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by John Hill	Member of Parliament for South Norfolk 1974–2001	Succeeded by Richard Bacon
Political offices
Preceded by Peter Rees	Chief Secretary to the Treasury 1985–1987	Succeeded by John Major
Preceded by Michael Jopling	Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1987–1989	Succeeded by John Gummer
Preceded by Kenneth Baker	Secretary of State for Education and Science 1989–1990	Succeeded by Kenneth Clarke
Preceded by Geoffrey Howe	Lord President of the Council 1990–1992	Succeeded by Tony Newton
Preceded by Geoffrey Howe	Leader of the House of Commons 1990–1992	Succeeded by Tony Newton
Preceded by Malcolm Rifkind	Secretary of State for Transport 1992–1994	Succeeded by Brian Mawhinney
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Lord Campbell-Savours	Gentlemen Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market	Followed by The Lord Jones

[1] "How charitable status has boosted the income of Scotland's top private schools" The Herald (Glasgow); 28 February 2008; Andrew Denholm, Brian Donnelly; p. 5

[2] Debretts, The Rt Hon the Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market, OBE

[3] "Theodore Mallinson" The Times (London); 22 Oct 2008; p. 61

[4] "Business & Media: Mr Lamonts darkest day" The Observer (London); 22 Jul 2007; William Keegan; p. 6. "For Major it was simple: of four possibilities, neither Chris Patten nor Ken Clarke had any Treasury experience. John MacGregor and Lamont were 'both credible candidates'"

[5] Hansard Wednesday 30 March 1994 Col 750–751 https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1994-03-30/Writtens-1.html

[6] "No. 56270". The London Gazette. 10 July 2001. p. 8123.

[7] "Life Baronies", The Times (London); 9 Jul 2001; p. 14

[8] "Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2019.

[9] "No. 45262". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1971. p. 11.

[10] Debrett's Peerage. 2015. p. 796.

[macintyre-11] Macintyre, Donald (24 January 1993). "Profile: And for his next trick…: John MacGregor - The Transport Secretary will need more than his magician's skill to make a success of rail privatisation". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2016.

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