Denis Thatcher facts for kids
Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet (born 10 May 1915 – died 26 June 2003) was an English businessman. He was the husband of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first female British prime minister from 1979 to 1990. This made him the first male prime ministerial spouse.
In 1990, Thatcher was given the Thatcher baronetcy, a special hereditary title. He was the only person to receive this type of title since 1964, and he is the most recent ordinary person (not a noble) to be given a hereditary title.
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Early life
Denis Thatcher was born in London on 10 May 1915. He was the first child of Thomas Herbert "Jack" Thatcher, a businessman from New Zealand, and Lilian Kathleen Bird.
When he was eight, Denis went to a special boarding school in Bognor Regis. Later, he attended Mill Hill School in north London. At school, he was very good at cricket, playing as a left-handed batsman.
After leaving school in 1933, Thatcher joined his family's business, Atlas Preservatives, which made paint and preservatives. He also studied accountancy to understand business better. By 1935, he became the works manager. He joined the Territorial Army after the Munich crisis. He believed war was coming, a feeling made stronger after a business trip to Nazi Germany in 1937.
War service
During the Second World War, Thatcher became a second lieutenant in the 34th Searchlight unit of the Royal Engineers. He later moved to the Royal Artillery in 1940. During the war, he was promoted to captain and temporary major.
He served in the Allied invasion of Sicily and the Italian campaign. He was mentioned in official reports twice for his bravery and good work. In 1945, he was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). His MBE was given for his efforts in helping with Operation Goldflake. This operation moved Canadian troops from Italy to another part of Europe. His commanding officer praised him for his "energy, initiative and drive."
Thatcher also received a French honour for helping to keep good relationships between British forces and French officials. He was promoted to lieutenant in April 1945. He left the army in 1946 and went back to run his family's business. His father had passed away in 1943 while Denis was in Sicily.
He stayed in the Territorial Army reserve until 1965, keeping his honorary rank of major. In 1982, he received the Territorial Decoration (TD) for his service.
Marriages
Thatcher was married twice. First, to Margot Kempson in 1942, and then to Margaret Roberts in 1951.
Margot Kempson
On 28 March 1942, Thatcher married Margaret Doris "Margot" Kempson. They met at an officers' dance.
Even though they were happy at first, they never lived together for long because Thatcher was often away during the war. When he returned in 1946, his wife told him she wanted a divorce.
Thatcher found this divorce very difficult to talk about, even with his own children. His children only learned about his first marriage in 1976 when the media reported it.
Margaret Thatcher
In February 1949, Denis met Margaret Hilda Roberts at a business event. She was a chemist and a new political candidate. When she first met him, she described him as "very reserved but quite nice."
They married on 13 December 1951, in London. Margaret Thatcher was later elected as the leader of the Conservative Party in 1975. In 1979, she won the general election and became the first female prime minister in British history. This made Denis the first husband of a British prime minister.
In 1953, they had twin children, Carol and Mark. They were born seven weeks early.
After the 1964 general election, Thatcher faced a difficult time which put a severe strain on his marriage. This was likely due to the stress of running his family business, looking after relatives, and his wife's busy political career. He sailed to South Africa for two months to recover. After this, he returned home and had a happy marriage for the rest of his life.
As Margaret's political career grew, she preferred to be known as "Mrs Thatcher."
Business career
Thatcher was already a wealthy man when he met Margaret. He helped pay for her training as a barrister (a type of lawyer) and bought a home in London. In 1965, he bought a large house in Kent. By 1957, his company employed 200 people.
Thatcher became the managing director of his family's company, Atlas, in 1947 and chairman in 1951. He helped the company grow overseas. In 1965, he sold Atlas to Castrol for £530,000. He continued to run Atlas and joined Castrol's board. When Burmah Oil took over Castrol in 1966, Thatcher became a senior director. He retired from Burmah in June 1975, shortly after his wife became the leader of the Conservative Party.
Besides Burmah Oil, Thatcher was also a director and deputy chairman of other companies, including Attwoods, Quinton Hazell, Amec, and CSX.
Public life
Thatcher rarely gave interviews to the press and made only short speeches. When he did speak to reporters, he often called his wife "The Boss." Margaret Thatcher often said how much her husband supported her. In her autobiography, she wrote that she "could never have been Prime Minister for more than 11 years without Denis by my side." Thatcher saw his job as helping her deal with the stress of being prime minister. He even urged her to resign in 1989, after ten years, because he felt she might be forced out.
In an interview in 1970, Thatcher said he was "an honest-to-God right-winger." His public image was often shaped by funny articles in a magazine called Private Eye. These articles made him seem like a simple, golf-loving person. Thatcher found it helpful to play along with this image so people wouldn't think he was trying to influence his wife's political decisions too much.
Because of his business background, Thatcher often advised Margaret on money matters. He warned her about the poor state of a company called British Leyland after looking at its financial records. He often told her not to overwork herself, sometimes saying, "Bed, woman!" Usually, they kept their careers separate. One exception was when Thatcher went with his wife on a visit to the United States in 1967.
Thatcher was strongly against the death penalty, calling it "absolutely awful" and "barbaric." Like his wife, he was consistently against socialism. He told his daughter in 1995 that he would have banned trade unions in Britain. He also had a low opinion of the BBC, believing it was unfair to his wife and her government.
In December 1990, after his wife resigned as prime minister, it was announced that Thatcher would be made a baronet. This title was officially given in February 1991, making him Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet. This meant his wife could be called Lady Thatcher, but she preferred to still be called "Mrs Thatcher." She later became a life peeress as Baroness Thatcher in 1992.
In July 1991, Thatcher was also made a Commander of the Order of St John. His wife also received an honour from the same order.
Thatcher's baronetcy was a hereditary title, meaning it would be passed down to his son after his death. It was the first British baronetcy given since 1964, and no more have been created since then.
Illness and death
In late 1992, Thatcher was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but it was found early and he responded well to treatment.
On 17 January 2003, Thatcher had a six-hour heart-bypass operation and another heart operation. He had been feeling breathless for several weeks. He left the clinic on 28 January 2003 and seemed to recover fully. He even visited his son Mark in South Africa in April.
However, in early June, he again felt breathless and tired. On 13 June, he was admitted to the Royal Brompton Hospital for more tests. Doctors found nothing wrong with his heart, but they diagnosed him with terminal pancreatic cancer and fluid in his lungs. He was told that nothing more could be done. After seven days, he was moved to the Lister Hospital. He lost consciousness on 24 June and passed away on the morning of 26 June, at the age of 88.
His funeral service was held on 3 July 2003, at the chapel of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London. He was then cremated. A memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey on 30 October. His ashes were buried near the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. His wife's ashes were later buried next to his after her death in 2013.
Profiles
Married to Maggie
Thatcher's only public interview was made into a documentary film called Married to Maggie, produced by his daughter Carol. It was shown after his death. In the film, he said he liked the spouses of other leaders, such as Raisa Gorbacheva, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush. He also said he thought his wife was "the best prime minister since Churchill."
Below the Parapet
Below the Parapet (1996) is a biography written by his daughter Carol. In the book, he said that he was not interested in politics as a job or way of life. He got along well with world leaders like George H. W. Bush, F. W. de Klerk, Hussein of Jordan, and Mikhail Gorbachev. He admitted that he wasn't sure where the Falkland Islands were until they were invaded in 1982.
Medals and honours
Thatcher received several British medals and honours:
| Ribbon | Description | Year |
|---|---|---|
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Commander of the Order of St John | 1991 |
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Baronetcy (Bt) | 1990 |
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Member of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division) (MBE) | 1945 |
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Territorial Decoration (TD) | 1982 |
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1939–1945 Star | 1945 |
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Italy Star | |
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War Medal 1939–1945 with Mention in Dispatches Oakleaf |
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Images for kids
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Thatcher in 1988
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See also
In Spanish: Denis Thatcher para niños
