Party political offices 1964–1975

Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office 4 March 1974 – 11 February 1975
Leader	Edward Heath
Preceded by	Peter Carington
Succeeded by	Peter Thorneycroft
Chief Whip of the Conservative Party
In office 16 October 1964 – 20 June 1970
Leader	Sir Alec Douglas-Home Edward Heath
Preceded by	Martin Redmayne
Succeeded by	Francis Pym

Junior ministerial offices

Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour
In office 16 July 1962 – 16 October 1964
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Harold Macmillan Alec Douglas-Home
Preceded by	Alan Green
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office 6 March 1961 – 16 July 1962
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Harold Macmillan
Preceded by	Paul Bryan
Succeeded by	Gordon Campbell

Shadow Cabinet posts

Shadow Home Secretary
In office 11 April 1976 – 4 May 1979
Leader	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Ian Gilmour
Succeeded by	Merlyn Rees

Parliamentary offices

Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 16 June 1983 – 1 July 1999 Hereditary peerage
Preceded by	Peerage created
Succeeded by	Peerage extinct
Member of Parliament for Penrith and The Border
In office 26 May 1955 – 11 June 1983
Preceded by	Donald Scott
Succeeded by	David Maclean

Personal details

Born

William Stephen Ian Whitelaw

28 June 1918
Edinburgh, Scotland

Died

1 July 1999 (aged 81)
Blencow, England

Political party

Conservative

Spouse

Cecilia Sprot

(m. 1943)

Children

Alma mater

Trinity College, Cambridge

Military service

Allegiance

United Kingdom

Branch/service

British Army

Years of service

1939–1946

Rank

Major

Unit

Scots Guards

Battles/wars

World War II

William Whitelaw was an important British politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party. He held many important jobs in the government. These included being the Home Secretary and a key helper to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

He was born on June 28, 1918, and passed away on July 1, 1999. From 1979 to 1988, he was like a Deputy Prime Minister. He was also the Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party for many years.

When the Conservatives won the 1970 election, Prime Minister Edward Heath gave Whitelaw important roles. He became Leader of the House of Commons. He also served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1972 to 1973. This was a challenging time for Northern Ireland.

Later, he worked closely with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He was her Home Secretary from 1979 to 1983. He also led the House of Lords from 1983 to 1988.

Early Life and Military Service
- Fighting in World War II
Start of Political Career
Working with Edward Heath
- Secretary for Northern Ireland
In Opposition and Working with Margaret Thatcher
Home Secretary (1979–1983)
- Key Actions as Home Secretary
Leading the House of Lords (1983–1988)
Retirement and Later Life
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Military Service

William Whitelaw was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He grew up in a place called Nairn. His father passed away when William was a baby. He was raised by his mother and his grandfather. His grandfather was also a politician.

William went to Winchester College and then to Trinity College, Cambridge. He was good at golf there. When World War II started in 1939, he joined the British Army. He became an officer in the Scots Guards.

Fighting in World War II

Whitelaw commanded tanks during the war. He fought in Normandy, France, in 1944. He was part of important battles. He was given a special medal called the Military Cross. This was for his bravery in battle.

He became a Major during the war. After the war ended in Europe, he served in Palestine. He left the army in 1946. He then took care of his family's land.

Start of Political Career

Whitelaw tried to become a Member of Parliament (MP) a few times. He finally won a seat in 1955. He represented the area of Penrith and the Border. He was an MP for 28 years.

He held his first government jobs in the early 1960s. He worked under Prime Ministers Harold Macmillan and Alec Douglas-Home. After the Conservatives lost the 1964 election, he became the main whip for the opposition party. This meant he helped organize his party's votes.

Working with Edward Heath

When the Conservatives won again in 1970, Edward Heath became Prime Minister. Whitelaw was given a job in the Cabinet. He was made Leader of the House of Commons.

Secretary for Northern Ireland

In 1972, he became the first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. This was a very difficult job. Northern Ireland was facing a lot of conflict. He tried to talk with different groups to find peace. He left this role in 1973.

After Northern Ireland, he became the Secretary of State for Employment. He dealt with disagreements with workers, especially miners. The Conservatives lost the election in 1974.

In Opposition and Working with Margaret Thatcher

After the Conservatives lost power, Whitelaw became the deputy leader of the party. He also became the chairman of the party. In 1975, Margaret Thatcher became the new leader of the Conservative Party. Whitelaw supported her.

He stayed as deputy leader until 1979. In 1979, the Conservatives won the election. Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. She gave Whitelaw a very important job.

Home Secretary (1979–1983)

Margaret Thatcher trusted Whitelaw a lot. She made him the Home Secretary. This job is in charge of law and order in the country. He was also seen as her unofficial Deputy Prime Minister.

Key Actions as Home Secretary

As Home Secretary, Whitelaw focused on being tough on crime. He increased police pay. He also started building more prisons. He introduced a policy for young offenders. This policy aimed to give them a "short, sharp shock" with strict discipline.

During his time, there were some big riots in cities like London and Liverpool. These happened because of issues like unemployment and how police dealt with different groups. The IRA also increased its bombing campaign.

In 1982, an intruder broke into the Queen's bedroom. Whitelaw thought about resigning, but Margaret Thatcher convinced him to stay. She said he was too important to the government.

Leading the House of Lords (1983–1988)

In 1983, Whitelaw stopped being an MP. He was given a special title and became a member of the House of Lords. This is the upper house of the UK Parliament. He became the Leader of the House of Lords.

He also continued as Lord President of the Council. Margaret Thatcher relied on him a lot during this time. He helped her manage important government decisions. He was known for his calm and fair approach.

Retirement and Later Life

In 1987, Whitelaw had a stroke. He decided to resign from his government roles. Many people felt his departure was a big loss for Margaret Thatcher's government. He officially left the Cabinet in January 1988.

After retiring, he was still involved in public life. He was the chairman of the board of governors at a school. He received another special honor in 1990. He officially stepped down as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party in 1991.

William Whitelaw passed away on July 1, 1999, at the age of 81. He had been married for 56 years to his wife, Celia. They had four daughters. He was buried in Dacre, Cumbria.

Coat of arms of William Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw
	Crest A Bee erect proper Escutcheon Sable a Chevron engrailed Or between three Boars' Heads couped Argent armed and langued Or Supporters On either side a Charolais Bull in trian aspect proper each with a Garland about the shoulder of Roses Gules barbed and seeded slipped and leaved and Thistles stalked and leaved proper and interlaced in front with two Pairs of Golf Clubs fretted saltirewise Gold; the Compartment comprising three Mounts of Moorland proper growing from each of these to the fore two Roses and as many Thistles the Roses Gules barbed and seeded stalked and leaved proper and the Thistles stalked and leaved also proper Motto Solertia Ditat (Prudence enriches)