Henry Plumb, Baron Plumb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Plumb
DL
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Plumb in 2001
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| In office 27 April 1987 – 3 November 2017 Life peerage |
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| President of the European Parliament | |
| In office 20 January 1987 – 25 July 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Pierre Pflimlin |
| Succeeded by | Enrique Barón |
| Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament | |
| In office 9 February 1982 – 7 July 1987 |
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| Preceded by | James Scott-Hopkins |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Prout |
| Member of the European Parliament for Cotswolds |
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| In office 7 June 1979 – 10 June 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency created |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Charles Henry Plumb
27 March 1925 Warwickshire, England |
| Died | 15 April 2022 (aged 97) |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Other political affiliations |
European Democrats |
| Spouse |
Marjorie Dunn
(m. 1947; died 2019) |
| Children | 3 |
| Occupation |
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Charles Henry Plumb, Baron Plumb (born March 27, 1925 – died April 15, 2022) was a British politician and farmer. He first became known as a leader in the National Farmers' Union. Later, he joined the Conservative Party. He was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). He served as an MEP from 1979 to 1999. From 1987 to 1989, he was the President of the European Parliament. He was the only British person to hold this important position.
Early Life and Farming Career
Charles Plumb's family had been farmers in Cheshire for many generations. His father had a farm in Coleshill, Warwickshire. Charles joined his father on the farm in 1940.
After his father passed away in 1952, Charles took over running the farm. The farm was about 300 acres (1.2 square kilometers) in size. It mainly had a dairy herd of 200 Ayrshire cattle. They also had 70 breeding sows and grew grain on 100 acres (0.4 square kilometers) of land.
Plumb married Marjorie Dunn in 1947. They had three children together. Marjorie passed away in 2019. Charles Plumb died on April 15, 2022, when he was 97 years old.
Leading the National Farmers' Union
Charles Plumb quickly moved up in the National Farmers' Union (NFU). This union helps farmers in England and Wales. In 1965, he was chosen as the Vice-President of the NFU. Even though he was only 40, people thought he might become President.
In 1966, he became the Deputy President. In the late 1960s, Plumb was part of a special committee. This committee looked into a serious outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. He was the only working farmer on the committee. He helped convince the committee to stop importing meat from countries where the disease was common.
In January 1970, Charles Plumb was elected President of the NFU. During his time as President, Britain joined the European Economic Community (EEC). The EEC was a group of European countries working together. Plumb worked hard to get more support for British farming. He explained that Britain could no longer afford very cheap food prices.
Plumb strongly supported Britain joining the EEC. He was a very active speaker for the "yes" campaign in the 1975 vote on whether Britain should stay in the EEC. In 1973, he was given a special honor and became a Knight.
Serving in the European Parliament
After joining the Conservative Party, Charles Plumb was elected to the European Parliament. He represented the Cotswolds area in 1979. He stayed in the European Parliament until 1999.
From 1987 to 1989, he held a very important job: President of the European Parliament. He was the only British person ever to be President of the European Parliament. On April 6, 1987, he was given the title Baron Plumb, which made him a Life peer. This meant he could sit in the House of Lords.
In October 1988, something notable happened while Plumb was President. Pope John Paul II was giving a speech at the European Parliament. An MEP from Northern Ireland, Ian Paisley, kept interrupting the Pope. Paisley held up posters that were rude to the Pope. As President, Plumb had to tell Paisley to leave the meeting hall.
Charles Plumb retired from the House of Lords on November 3, 2017. He also served as the Chancellor of Coventry University from 1995 to 2007.
