John Major

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The Right Honourable

Sir John Major

KG CH
clean-shaven middle-aged white man with grey hair, wearing glasses
John Major (2007)
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office
28 November 1990 – 2 May 1997
MonarchElizabeth II
DeputyMichael Heseltine (1995–97)
Preceded byMargaret Thatcher
Succeeded byTony Blair
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office
28 November 1990 – 19 June 1997
DeputyViscount Whitelaw (1990–91)
Preceded byMargaret Thatcher
Succeeded byWilliam Hague
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office
26 October 1989 – 28 November 1990
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byNigel Lawson
Succeeded byNorman Lamont
Foreign Secretary
In office
24 July 1989 – 26 October 1989
Preceded bySir Geoffrey Howe
Succeeded byDouglas Hurd
Member of Parliament
for Huntingdon [en] (n.b.)
In office
3 May 1979 – 14 May 2001
Personal details
Born (1943-03-29) 29 March 1943 (age 77)
Surrey, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)
Norma Johnson (m. 1970)
Children2
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata
n.b. Huntingdonshire [en] (1979–1983)

Sir John Major KG CH (born 29 March 1943) is a British politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. He served as a member of the Cabinet under Margaret Thatcher as Chief Secretary to the Treasury (1987–1989), Foreign Secretary (1989) and Chancellor of the Exchequer (1989–1990).

Early life and career[change | change source]

Major was born at St Helier Hospital and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children in St Helier, London, in England and left school at the age of 16.[1][2] He became a Conservative councillor in 1968. At the 1979 general election, Major was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdonshire (Huntingdon after 1983).

After holding several cabinet positions, Major was elected to replace Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister and party leader.[3] On taking office, he saw British action in the Gulf War (1991) and his party's narrow re-election in the 1992 general election.

After this, the Conservatives under Major became unpopular because of the "Black Wednesday" stock market crash in late 1992 and how they became divided over the issue of European Union. Beaten at the 1997 general election, Major stood down as Prime Minister for Tony Blair of the Labour Party, and was replaced as Conservative leader by William Hague. He stood down as an MP at the 2001 general election.

Major has so far declined a life peerage on standing down from Parliament.[4]

Personal life[change | change source]

Major married Norma Johnson (now (Dame) Norma Major DBE) on 3 October 1970. She was a teacher, and a member of the Young Conservatives. They became engaged after only ten days.[5] They have two children; a son, James, and a daughter, Elizabeth. They have a holiday home on the coast of north Norfolk, near Weybourne.[6]

He is a keen follower of cricket, motor racing, and also a supporter of Chelsea Football Club.[7][8]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ Major, John (2000). John Major: The Autobiography. London: HarperCollins. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-00-653074-9.
  2. ↑ Seldon, Anthony (1998). Major – A Political Life. London: Phoenix. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-7538-0145-1.
  3. ↑ Malcolm Rifkind (15 August 1999). "Major has every right to shop Lady Thatcher". London: Independent Newspapers. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  4. ↑ "Major to turn down peerage". BBC News. BBC. 8 October 2000. Retrieved 15 August 2006.
  5. ↑ "Profile at". Number10.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  6. ↑ Brogan, Benedict (21 March 2002). "Protection bill for John Major rises to £1.5m". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 3 July 2007.
  7. ↑ "Insert". Manutd.com.[dead link]
  8. ↑ "Celebrity Fans". The Shed. Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 17 April 2010.

Other websites[change | change source]


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