Parliamentary offices

Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage 13 June 1997 – 9 June 2016
Member of Parliament for Witney Mid Oxfordshire (Feb 1974–1983)
In office 28 February 1974 – 8 April 1997
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Shaun Woodward

Political Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

In office
1970–1974

Prime Minister

Edward Heath

Preceded by

Marcia Falkender

Succeeded by

Marcia Falkender

Personal details

Born

Douglas Richard Hurd

8 March 1930 (age 95)
Marlborough, Wiltshire, England

Political party

Conservative

Spouses

Tatiana Eyre

(m. 1960; div. 1982)

Judy Smart

(m. 1982; died 2008)

Children

5, including Nick

Parents

Anthony Hurd
Stephanie Frances Corner

Relatives

Sir Percy Hurd (grandfather)

Education

Eton College

Alma mater

Trinity College, Cambridge

Signature

Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell (born 8 March 1930) is a British politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party. He served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1979 to 1995.

Before becoming a politician, Hurd worked as a diplomat. He was also a political secretary to Prime Minister Edward Heath. Hurd became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1974. He represented the Mid Oxfordshire area, which later became Witney. He held several important jobs in the government. These included Minister for Europe, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Home Secretary, and Foreign Secretary.

In 1990, he tried to become the leader of the Conservative Party but was not successful. He stopped working in top-level politics in 1995. In 1997, he became a member of the House of Lords. He is seen as an important senior figure in the Conservative Party. He retired from the House of Lords in 2016.

Early Life and Education
Becoming a Member of Parliament
Life After Politics
Personal Life
Literary Works
See also

Early Life and Education

Order of the British Empire ribbon

Douglas Hurd was born in 1930 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. His father, Anthony Hurd, and grandfather, Sir Percy Hurd, were also Members of Parliament. Douglas went to Twyford School and Eton College. At Eton, he was a very good student and became the head boy.

After school, Hurd did his National Service in the Army. This was a time when a Third World War seemed possible. He joined the Royal Artillery and later became an officer. He left the Army in 1949 to go to Trinity College, Cambridge.

At Cambridge University, he studied history. He was also active in student politics. He became the chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association. He was also president of the Cambridge Union Society. He graduated in 1952 with a top degree in history.

After university, Hurd joined the Diplomatic Service. This meant he worked for the British government in other countries. He worked in China, the United States, and Italy. He left the Diplomatic Service in 1966 to start his career in politics.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Hurd became a private secretary to Prime Minister Edward Heath. This was a political job. In February 1974, he was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP). He represented the Mid Oxfordshire area.

After being elected, he received an award called the Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 1983, his constituency changed to Witney. He remained the MP for Witney until 1997. He served in Parliament for 23 years. After he retired, David Cameron, who later became Prime Minister, represented the Witney area.

Serving in Government: 1979–1990

When the Conservative Party won the election in 1979, Hurd became a Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. He stayed in this role until 1983. After the 1983 election, Prime Minister Thatcher moved Hurd to the Home Office.

A year later, he was promoted to a senior government role. He became the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. In this job, he used his diplomatic skills to help create the Anglo-Irish Agreement. This agreement was important for cooperation between Britain and Ireland on the political situation in Northern Ireland.

Before the agreement was signed, Hurd became the Home Secretary. This is a very important job in charge of law and order in the UK. Hurd was known as a reliable and loyal member of the government. He believed in helping offenders get back on track. He also introduced the Public Order Act 1986. This law made it illegal to use threatening or insulting speech to cause racial hatred.

Trying for Party Leadership in 1990

Hurd's career continued during the last few months of Margaret Thatcher's time as Prime Minister. In 1989, he became the Foreign Secretary. He took over from John Major, who became the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

In November 1990, Margaret Thatcher faced a challenge for her leadership. Hurd first supported her. But when she withdrew from the contest, Hurd decided to run for leader himself. He was seen as a moderate candidate. He was known for his work as Home Secretary.

However, he was seen as an outsider. He was behind Michael Heseltine and John Major. John Major eventually won the leadership. Hurd came in third place. He accepted the defeat gracefully. When John Major became Prime Minister, Hurd kept his job as Foreign Secretary.

As Foreign Secretary

Douglas Hurd with US President George H. W. Bush in 1991

Douglas Hurd was seen as a very skilled statesman during his time as Foreign Secretary. This period was full of major world events. He managed Britain's response to the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. He also oversaw Britain's role in the first Gulf War. This war aimed to remove Iraqi troops from Kuwait.

Hurd worked well with the United States under President George H. W. Bush. He also tried to improve relationships with other members of the European Community. These relationships had been difficult during Margaret Thatcher's later years. Hurd signed the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, which created the European Union. He also welcomed a united Germany into the European political community.

One of the big challenges during his time was the Yugoslav Wars. During the Bosnian War, Hurd argued against sending military aid to the Bosniaks. He also wanted to keep the arms embargo. He believed that sending weapons would only make the conflict worse. He also resisted allowing many Bosnian refugees into Britain. He felt this would reduce pressure for peace. Hurd described his policy as "realist".

There was some criticism of Hurd's policies during the war. Later, in 2010, Hurd said he was still unsure if military action would have ended the war sooner.

Hurd was also involved in a public issue regarding British funding for a dam in Malaysia. This project, the Pergau Dam, received money from the British foreign aid budget. At the same time, Malaysia bought many British-made weapons. There were questions about whether the aid was linked to the arms deals. A court later ruled that the funding for the dam was outside his legal powers.

In 1995, Hurd retired from top-level politics. He had served 11 years in the Cabinet. Malcolm Rifkind replaced him as Foreign Secretary.

Life After Politics

Insignia of a Companion of Honour

After leaving his role as Foreign Secretary, Douglas Hurd continued to support John Major. He also took on various business roles. He was a deputy chairman of NatWest Markets.

Hurd left the House of Commons in 1997. On 13 June 1997, he was given the title Baron Hurd of Westwell. This allowed him to continue serving in Parliament as a member of the House of Lords. He retired from the House of Lords in 2016.

He became chairman of British Invisibles (now called International Financial Services London). He also chaired the judging panel for the 1998 Booker Prize for Fiction. In 1999, he became the High Steward of Westminster Abbey. This shows his long involvement with the Church of England.

Hurd received an honorary degree from Aston University in 2009. He is also a member of a group working for nuclear disarmament.

Personal Life

Douglas Hurd has been married twice. In 1960, he married Tatiana. They had three sons. They divorced in 1982. In the same year, Hurd married Judy Smart. They had two children, a boy and a girl. Judy Hurd passed away in 2008.

Hurd's eldest son, Nick Hurd, also became a Conservative Member of Parliament. He served from 2005 to 2019. He was appointed Minister for Civil Society in 2010.

Hurd's second son, Thomas, joined the Diplomatic service.

In 1988, Hurd started a charity called Crime Concern. This charity worked to reduce crime and anti-social behavior. It helped young people and offenders through training and job opportunities. In 2008, Crime Concern merged with another charity to become Catch22. Douglas Hurd is fluent in Mandarin, French, and Italian.

Literary Works

Douglas Hurd is also a writer. He has written political thrillers and non-fiction books.

His political thrillers include:

The Smile on the Face of the Tiger (1969, with Andrew Osmond)
Scotch on the Rocks (1971, with Andrew Osmond)
Truth Game (1972)
A Vote to a Kill (1975)
Palace of Enchantments (1985, with Stephen Lamport)
The Shape of Ice (1998)
Image in the Water (2001)
10 Minutes to Turn the Devil (2015), a collection of short stories.

His non-fiction works include:

The Arrow War (1967)
An End To Promises (1979)
The Search for Peace (1997)
Memoirs (2003)
Robert Peel, a Biography (2007)
Choose your Weapons (2010)
Disraeli: or, The Two Lives (2013, with Edward Young)

Douglas Hurd facts for kids

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