John Eden, Baron Eden of Winton

John Benedict Eden, Baron Eden of Winton, PC (born 15 September 1925) is a retired British Conservative politician.^[1][2]

Background

Eden was educated at Eton College and St Paul's School, New Hampshire, USA. He served as a Lieutenant with the Rifle Brigade, 2nd Gurkha Rifles and the Gilgit Scouts during the Second World War. He is a nephew of Sir Anthony Eden (1897–1977), who served as prime minister from 1955 to 1957, and he succeeded his father Sir Timothy Calvert Eden to his baronetcies in 1963. He is the 9th Baronet of West Auckland and the 7th Baronet of Maryland.

Career

After an unsuccessful attempt to contest the 1953 Paddington North by-election, he was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Bournemouth West from 1954 until 1983. When first elected, he was the youngest member of the House of Commons. He was appointed to the Privy Council on 10 April 1972 and was created a life peer as Baron Eden of Winton, of Rushyford in the County of Durham on 3 October 1983,^[3] following his retirement from the House of Commons. He retired from the House of Lords on 11 June 2015 under the provisions of the House of Lords Reform Act 2014.^[4] Following the death of Lord Healey on 3 October 2015, Eden became the surviving former MP with the earliest date of first election.

Appointments:

• Member of the House of Commons Estimates committee (1960–1964)
• Delegate to Council of Europe and West European Union (1960–1962)
• Delegate to NATO Technology (June–October 1970)
• Minister of State for Industry (1970–1972)
• Minister of State for Posts and Telecommunications (1972–1974)
• Member of the House of Commons Expenditure committee (1974–1976)
• Chairman of the Select Committee on EEC Legislation (1976–1979)
• Chairman of the Select Committee on Home Affairs (1980–1983)
• Chairman of the British Lebanese Association (1990–1998)
• Chairman of the Royal Armouries Association (1986–1994)
• Member of Timken Company International Advisory Board
• Chairman of Lady Eden's Schools Ltd

Family life

He has been twice married:

• 1) Belinda Jane Pascoe (1954 – divorced 1974); four children
  • The Honourable Emily Rose Eden (born 1959)
  • The Honourable Arabella Charlotte Eden (born 1960)
  • The Honourable Robert Frederick Calvert Eden (born 30 April 1964)
  • The Honourable John "Jack" Edward Morton Eden (born 1966)
• 2) Margaret Ann Gordon, a former wife of the Viscount Strathallan

Titles and styles

• John Eden (1925–1954)
• John Eden MP (1954–1963)
• Sir John Eden Bt MP (1963–1972)
• The Rt. Hon. Sir John Eden Bt MP (1972–1983)
• The Rt. Hon. Sir John Eden Bt (1983)
• The Rt. Hon. The Lord Eden of Winton Bt PC (1983–)

Arms

References