Frank Dobson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Dobson
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Secretary of State for Health | |
| In office 2 May 1997 – 11 October 1999 |
|
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Stephen Dorrell |
| Succeeded by | Alan Milburn |
| Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment | |
| In office 20 October 1994 – 2 May 1997 |
|
| Leader | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Chris Smith |
| Succeeded by | John Gummer |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Transport | |
| In office 21 October 1993 – 20 October 1994 |
|
| Leader | John Smith Margaret Beckett (Acting) Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | John Prescott |
| Succeeded by | Michael Meacher |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Employment | |
| In office 18 July 1992 – 21 October 1993 |
|
| Leader | John Smith |
| Preceded by | Tony Blair |
| Succeeded by | John Prescott |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Energy | |
| In office 2 November 1989 – 18 July 1992 |
|
| Leader | Neil Kinnock |
| Preceded by | John Prescott |
| Succeeded by | Robin Cook (Trade and Industry) |
| Shadow Leader of the House of Commons | |
| In office 13 July 1987 – 2 November 1989 |
|
| Leader | Neil Kinnock |
| Preceded by | Peter Shore |
| Succeeded by | Jack Cunningham |
| Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras Holborn and St Pancras South (1979–1983) |
|
| In office 3 May 1979 – 30 March 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | Lena Jeger |
| Succeeded by | Keir Starmer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Frank Gordon Dobson
15 March 1940 York, England |
| Died | 11 November 2019 (aged 79) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Janet Mary Alker
(m. 1967) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics |
Frank Gordon Dobson (born 15 March 1940 – died 11 November 2019) was a British politician from the Labour Party. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St. Pancras from 1979 to 2015.
During his time in government, he served as the Secretary of State for Health from 1997 to 1999. He also ran to become the Mayor of London in 2000, finishing third in the election. Frank Dobson stepped down as an MP in 2015.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Frank Dobson was born in 1940 in Dunnington, York, England. His father worked on the railways. When Frank was sixteen, his father passed away.
He went to Dunnington County Church of England Primary School. Later, he attended Archbishop Holgate Grammar School. After his father's death, the local council helped him with a grant for his education. He then studied economics at the London School of Economics, earning his degree in 1962.
After university, he worked for the Central Electricity Generating Board from 1962 to 1970. This board was in charge of producing electricity for the country. He then worked for the Electricity Council from 1970 to 1975, which managed the electricity supply.
Local Politics and Public Service
In 1964, Frank Dobson tried to get a seat on the Camden London Borough Council. He was elected to the council in 1971. In 1973, he became the leader of the Labour group on the council. This meant he became the leader of the council itself.
In 1975, because he had a young family, Dobson decided to step down from his role as council leader. He left the council to take a non-political job. He became an assistant secretary for the office of the Local Government Ombudsman. An Ombudsman helps solve problems between people and local government. He held this job until 1979.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
In the 1979 general election, Frank Dobson was elected as an MP for Holborn and St Pancras South. This area later became known as Holborn and St. Pancras.
He quickly became a key figure in the Labour Party. From 1982, he held several important roles on the party's "front bench." This means he was a senior spokesperson for the party on different topics. He was known for his friendly personality. For example, after the Rover Group (a car company) was sold in 1988, he joked about the low price. As the spokesperson for Environment and London from 1994, he led Labour's response to issues involving the City of Westminster council.
Working in Government
After the Labour Party won the 1997 general election by a large margin, Frank Dobson was given a very important job. He was made Secretary of State for Health. This role meant he was in charge of the country's health system.
It was a challenging job. He felt that civil servants (government workers) sometimes made things difficult. He also had to work within strict spending limits set by the previous government. Dobson told Prime Minister Tony Blair that to have a great health service, they needed to spend more money. When more money was finally given to the NHS, Blair gave Dobson credit for making it happen.
Dobson also helped create a program called Sure Start. This program aimed to improve childcare, early education, and health care for families with young children.
Running for Mayor of London
Frank Dobson was chosen by the Labour Party to be their candidate for Mayor of London. He won the party's internal selection process, beating Ken Livingstone.
In May 2000, the election for Mayor of London took place. Ken Livingstone ran as an independent candidate and won. Frank Dobson came in third place, behind the Conservative candidate Steven Norris. He was just ahead of the Liberal Democrat candidate Susan Kramer.
Even though he didn't win the mayoral race, Dobson was re-elected as an MP in the 2001 and 2005 general elections.
Political Views and Public Life
In 2000, Frank Dobson was given the "Beard 2000" award by the Beard Liberation Front. This was a fun award for his beard. There was some talk that Labour Party advisors wanted him to shave his beard for the London mayoral election. Dobson famously told them he wouldn't.
He also faced questions about living in a council flat while earning a high salary as a minister. He explained that he had lived there for a long time, even before it became a council property. He said he didn't want to buy it because he had voted against people being able to buy council homes.
In 2006, when there was discussion about Prime Minister Tony Blair stepping down, Dobson said Blair should leave office sooner. He believed it would end uncertainty. He also criticized Alan Milburn, who had taken over his role as Health Secretary, saying he had made a "terrible mess" of the NHS. Dobson also spoke out against Post Office closures, but then voted in Parliament for some of those closures.
Personal Life
Frank Dobson married Janet Mary Alker in 1967. They had three children together. His brother, Geoff, passed away from liver cancer just before the Labour Party's big election win in 1997.
With his friendly look and white beard, Frank Dobson was sometimes jokingly compared to Father Christmas. He was also a fan of the football team West Ham United.
Frank Dobson passed away on 11 November 2019, at the age of 79. Many people shared their sadness and paid tribute to him. These included former Labour prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and the current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
Images for kids
-
Frank Dobson
