Charles Williams, Baron Williams of Elvel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Williams of Elvel CBE PC
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 22 May 1985 – 30 December 2019 Life Peerage
Chairman of the Price Commission
In office 1977–1979
Personal details
Born	Charles Cuthbert Powell Williams (1933-02-09)9 February 1933 Oxford, England
Died	30 December 2019(2019-12-30) (aged 86)
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Jane Gillian Portal
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford London School of Economics
Profession	businessman

Charles Cuthbert Powell Williams, also known as Baron Williams of Elvel, was an important British businessman and politician. He was a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament. He was given special honours like the CBE and became a member of the Privy Council.

Born on February 9, 1933, he passed away on December 30, 2019. Before his political career, he was a talented cricketer. He played for several teams in his 20s. He was also the stepfather of Justin Welby, who is currently the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Early Life and Education

Charles Williams was born in Oxford, England, on February 9, 1933. His parents were N. P. Williams and Muriel de Lérisson Cazenove.

He went to Westminster School, a famous school in London. After that, he studied at Christ Church, Oxford, which is part of Oxford University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1955 and a Master of Arts degree. Later, he continued his studies at the London School of Economics, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1964.

Military Service

Between 1955 and 1957, Charles Williams served in the military. He was a junior officer, called a Subaltern. He worked at the headquarters of the King's Royal Rifle Corps in Winchester. He also served with the regiment's 1st Battalion in Derna, Libya.

Cricket Career Highlights

Charles Williams was a right-handed batsman in cricket. He played in 87 first-class cricket matches. Forty of these matches were for Essex, and 42 were for Oxford University.

Early Matches

He played his first first-class match for Oxford University in 1952. In that game, he scored 53 runs. Later that year, he scored 74 runs in another match. In 1953, he scored his first century (100 runs or more) against the Free Foresters team. He made 115 runs in that game.

Successful Seasons

In 1954, Williams had a great season, scoring over 1,000 runs for the first time. He made 115 runs against Lancashire. He also scored an amazing 139 runs without being out against Hampshire.

In 1955, he was the captain of the Oxford University cricket team. He started the season well with 120 runs in his first match. This was his most successful season overall, scoring 1,219 runs. He also scored his first century in the County Championship for Essex, making 119 runs.

Later Cricket Career

After his time at university, Williams continued to play cricket. He played a few matches for the Combined Services cricket team in 1956. He even scored 125 runs without being out in one of these games. He also played for Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

He returned to first-class cricket in 1958, playing for Essex. His last first-class matches were in 1959.

Gentlemen & Players

Williams was an "amateur" cricketer. In the past, cricket had two types of players: "Gentlemen" (amateurs) and "Players" (professionals). This difference ended in 1963, and all first-class cricketers became professionals. Charles Williams wrote a book about this change called Gentlemen & Players: The Death of Amateurism in Cricket in 2012.

Business Career

After his cricket career, Charles Williams had a long and successful career in business.

He worked for British Petroleum Co. Ltd from 1958 to 1964. He then worked in banking in Guatemala and Paris. From 1970 to 1977, he was a managing director at Baring Bros & Co. Ltd.

From 1977 to 1979, he was the chairman of the Price Commission. This was a government body that looked at prices of goods and services. He also held leadership roles at other financial companies, including Henry Ansbacher & Co. Ltd. From 1985 to 1992, he was a director at Mirror Group Newspapers.

Public Service and Politics

Charles Williams was also involved in public service and politics. He tried to become a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party in 1964 and 1976, but he was not elected.

In 1980, he was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his work. On May 22, 1985, he was made a life peer. This meant he became a member of the House of Lords for life. He took the title Baron Williams of Elvel. He sat in the House of Lords as a Labour Party member. In 2013, he was appointed to the Privy Council, a group of important advisors to the Queen.

He also served as chairman of the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, a famous orchestra. He was also president of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW), which works to protect the countryside in Wales.

Personal Life

In 1975, Charles Williams married Jane Gillian Portal. His stepson is the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby. Justin Welby is the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, a very important leader in the Church of England. Justin Welby has spoken about how supportive Charles Williams was as a stepfather.

Books Written by Charles Williams

Charles Williams was also an author and wrote several books, mostly biographies about important historical figures.

• 1993: The Last Great Frenchman: a life of General de Gaulle
• 1996: Bradman: an Australian Hero
• 2000: Adenauer: the Father of the New Germany
• 2005: Pétain. This book won the 2006 Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography.
• 2009: Harold Macmillan
• 2012: Gentlemen & Players: The Death of Amateurism in Cricket