Rodney Elton, 2nd Baron Elton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Elton
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Elton in 2020
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| Minister of State for Environment | |
| In office 27 March 1985 – 10 September 1986 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | New appointment |
| Succeeded by | Hon. William Waldegrave |
| Minister of State for Home Affairs | |
| In office 11 September 1984 – 25 March 1985 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs | |
| In office 6 April 1982 – 11 September 1984 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | The Lord Belstead |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Glenarthur |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security | |
| In office 15 September 1981 – 6 April 1982 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Geoffrey Finsberg |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Trefgarne |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 7 May 1979 – 15 September 1981 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Tom Pendry |
| Succeeded by | David Mitchell |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| as a hereditary peer 13 May 1973 – 11 November 1999 |
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| Preceded by | The 1st Baron Elton |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| as an elected hereditary peer 11 November 1999 – 29 October 2020 |
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| Election | 1999 |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | The 7th Baron Harlech |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 March 1930 |
| Died | 19 August 2023 (aged 93) |
| Political party | Conservative |
Rodney Elton, 2nd Baron Elton (born 2 March 1930 – died 19 August 2023) was a British politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party and served in the House of Lords.
Contents
About Rodney Elton
Rodney Elton was the son of Godfrey Elton, 1st Baron Elton. He went to Eton College and then to New College, Oxford for his education. When his father passed away in 1973, Rodney inherited his title and became the 2nd Baron Elton. Before his political career, he worked as a teacher at Loughborough Grammar School from 1964 to 1967.
His Time in Government
After the 1979 general election, the Conservative Party formed a new government. Rodney Elton became a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (a junior minister) in the Northern Ireland Office. This meant he helped manage affairs in Northern Ireland.
In 1981, he moved to the Department of Health and Social Security. The next year, in 1982, he moved again to the Home Office. In 1984, he was promoted to Minister of State (a more senior minister) within the Home Office.
In 1985, Elton joined the Department of Environment, again as a Minister of State. He left the government the following year, in 1986. Throughout these roles, he served under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
In the House of Lords
Rodney Elton was a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament. For a long time, people who inherited titles (hereditary peers) automatically had a seat in the House of Lords.
However, in 1999, a new law called the House of Lords Act 1999 changed this. Most hereditary peers lost their automatic right to sit. But Rodney Elton was one of ninety hereditary peers who were elected by their fellow peers to remain in the House. This was meant to be a temporary arrangement until further changes were made.
In 2006, Elton was a candidate to become the Lord Speaker, who leads debates in the House of Lords. He did not win the election. He officially retired from the House of Lords on 29 October 2020. After his retirement, a special election was held, and Lord Harlech was chosen to take his place.
Rodney Elton passed away on 19 August 2023, at the age of 93.
Family Life
Rodney Elton was married twice. His first marriage was to Anne Frances Tilney on 18 September 1958. They had four children together:
- Hon. Annabel Elton (born 1960)
- Hon. Jane Elton (born 1962)
- Hon. Lucy Elton (born 1963)
- Edward Paget Elton, 3rd Baron Elton (born 1966)
After they divorced in 1979, Rodney Elton married Susan Richenda Gurney on 24 August 1979. They did not have any children together. Richenda was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Elizabeth II, meaning she was a close attendant to the Queen, until the Queen's death in 2022.
Images for kids
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A coronet of a Baron
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The coat of arms of the Elton family
