Tom Sawyer, Baron Sawyer

Sawyer was educated at Dodmire School, Eastbourne Comprehensive School and Darlington Technical College.

After his education, Sawyer worked in engineering, before moving into trade unionism. He became a National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) Officer in 1971, becoming their Northern Regional Officer in 1975. In 1981, he was made Deputy General Secretary of NUPE and served through its merger to become UNISON until 1994. In this role he served as a National Executive Committee Member of the Labour Party between 1981 and 1994 and was made Chair of the Party in 1991.

In 1994, Sawyer became General Secretary of the Labour Party and led the Party successfully into the 1997 General Election. He was a moderniser who helped bring about the New Labour era.[1] He stood down at the 1998 Party Conference[2] and was created a Life Peer as Baron Sawyer, of Darlington in the County of Durham on 4 August 1998.[3] He is now a director of several companies and public sector bodies.

In November 2004, it was announced that Lord Sawyer would become the next chancellor of the University of Teesside, replacing former Conservative MP and member of the European Commission, Leon Brittan.

The Labour History Archive and Study Centre at the People's History Museum in Manchester holds the papers of Sawyer, which range from 1985 to 1998.[4]

• Announcement of his introduction at the House of Lords House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 14 October 1998