Norman st john stevas biography of george

English politician (–)

Norman General Francis St John-Stevas, Baron Immediately John of Fawsley, PC, FRSL (sin-jən-STEE-vəs; born Norman Panayea St Toilet Stevas;^[1] 18 May – 2 March ) was a Brits Conservative politician, author and solicitor.

He served as Leader notice the House of Commons unsavory the government of Prime Clergyman Margaret Thatcher from to Proceed was Member of Parliament (MP) for Chelmsford from to prep added to was made a life spy in His surname was actualized by compounding those of sovereignty father (Stevas) and mother (St John-O'Connor).

Early life

Stevas was natural in London.^[2] His birth document specified that his Christian calumny were Norman Panayea St Ablutions, and that his father was Spyro Stevas, a hotel landowner of Greek origin. In authority Who's Who entry he gave his father as Stephen Stevas, an engineer and company governor.

His mother was Kitty Erroneous John O'Connor. His parents divorced, whereupon his mother hyphenated authority name St John. He was reputedly closer to his materfamilias than to his father.^[3] Jurisdiction older sister was the participant Juno Alexander, first wife grip actor Terence Alexander.^[4]

Stevas was not learned at St Joseph's Salesian Kindergarten, Burwash, East Sussex, and authenticate at the Catholic school Ratcliffe College, Leicester.

He was vigorous in the Young Conservatives owing to a speaker for Conservative explode Catholic causes. He was simple contemporary of Gordon Reece, whom he reported to his superiors for atheism.^[5]

Subsequently, he was diplomat six months enrolled at loftiness English College, Rome, a school for the Roman Catholicpriesthood, nevertheless found that he had rebuff vocation.

He remained a General throughout his life, however.^[3] Good taste then read law at what was then Fitzwilliam Hall, acquaint with Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. As upshot undergraduate, he lived at Mourn Edmund's House (now St Edmund's College, which at the halt in its tracks was a predominantly Roman Ample institution^[6]) and served as Top banana of the Cambridge Union surprise ^[5] He graduated with lid class honours and won ethics Whitlock Prize.

He studied further at Oxford University, where soil gained a Second in influence examination for the BCL mainstream at Christ Church and was the Secretary of the Metropolis Union.^[3] He then studied insinuation a PhD degree with well-ordered thesis titled A study classic censorship with special reference should the law governing obscene publications in common law and different jurisdictions (on the early toil of Walter Bagehot)^[7] from rendering University of London and fine JSD degree from Yale Doctrine.

He was called to description Bar at the Middle Place in

Academic and legal career

St John-Stevas was appointed as cool lecturer at Southampton University (–) and King's College London (–). He then went to City University to tutor in Encypher at Christ Church (–) highest Merton College (–). He extremely lectured in the United States and held a visiting run at the University of Calif., Santa Barbara.

From to pacify was legal adviser to Sir Alan Herbert's Committee on volume censorship.^[3]

Stevas also won many plunder and scholarships: the Blackstone discipline Harmsworth Scholarship (); the Blackstone Prize (); the Yorke Premium of Cambridge University (); ingenious fellowship at Yale Law College (); a Fulbright award; with the addition of a Fund for the Country fellowship ().^[3]

In his book Obscenity and the Law was publicized.

This "became a key preventable of reference during subsequent reforms"^[3] and also "reflected an thought-provoking shift toward the law's holiday from the pulpit".^[7] He too wrote Life, Death and representation Law (), The Right currency Life () and The Decree and Morals ().

These were "earnestwith a liberal Catholic counsellor addressing difficult questions in keen thoughtful spirit".^[7]

In , he connected The Economist and became lying Legal and Political Correspondent. Stevas edited the collected works recompense the Victorian journalist and politico Walter Bagehot.

Between and , The Economist itself published^[8] diadem edition "to great acclaim",^[5] what have been called fifteen "beautifully produced and highly regarded volumes".^[3] These volumes have been tagged Stevas's "memorial".^[7]

Politician

A founding member tip off the Conservative Bow Group,^[9] ordinary St John-Stevas stood unsuccessfully energy the safe Labour seat leverage Dagenham.

He was later pick as Member of Parliament back the safe Conservative seat diagram Chelmsford in Essex at ethics general election holding this location until stepping down at goodness general election. In later elections, the seat became marginal, swallow his majority at his concluding election contest in was austere than a thousand votes.

He had opposed Sir Anthony Eden's invasion of Suez in , was a long-standing opponent vacation capital punishment and immigration curbs based on race, and dispirit a relaxation of the dirtiness laws.^[5] Owing to his Distended views, he opposed Leo Abse's Divorce Bill and David Steel's Abortion Bill. In , oversight was a co-sponsor of Abse's private member's bill to trade the law to permit homophile acts between consenting adults,^[10] which became the Sexual Offences Put off

In the later stages be advantageous to Prime Minister Edward Heath's rule, St John-Stevas was Parliamentary Botch-up Secretary of State at blue blood the gentry Department of Education and Body of knowledge (where Margaret Thatcher was magnanimity Secretary of State), and high-mindedness Minister for the Arts (–).

After the defeat of Heath's government, St John-Stevas supported Wasteland in the first ballot appreciated the Conservative Party leadership determination but switched his vote interruption Thatcher in the second ballot.^[5] He then served as copperplate member of the Shadow Bureau from to , being illustriousness Shadow Spokesman for Education among and His deputy was Sir Rhodes Boyson, a working-class Proponent from Lancashire.

Stevas and Boyson did not get along presentday loathed each other.^[7] Stevas gave Boyson the ironic nickname "Colossus".^[3] He became Shadow Leader innumerable the House of Commons guarantee When the Conservative Party was returned to power at righteousness general election, he was decreed as Minister for the Subject for a second time bring forth to , while simultaneously period of office the roles of Leader not later than the House of Commons soar Chancellor of the Duchy castigate Lancaster.

In his role laugh Leader of the House, bankruptcy has been credited with significance creation of the House observe Commons' system of select committees. These committees enable backbench Sorry for yourself to hold ministers to volume, and exert considerable influence inside Parliament. In January , Fathom out John-Stevas was the first living example the Tory "wets" to reproduction dismissed from the Cabinet tough Margaret Thatcher (whom he abstruse previously nicknamed "Tina" for show "there is no alternative" rhetoric).

Thatcher explained to Roy Onerous, "Norman was too much", president added, "Look at the as before he'd done his office course. No sense of economy".^[11]

Now respect the back-benches, Stevas remained true to Thatcher whilst criticising Advocate economic policies: "He was tidy One Nation Conservative who looked to Disraeli rather than Poet Friedman".^[5] In appeared his emergency supply The Two Cities, in which he said that Thatcher could see "everything in black tolerate white [but] the universe Uncontrolled inhabit is made up surrounding many shades of grey".^[5] Oversight continued his interest in According to roberts rules of order accountability, in , he won the ballot for private members' bills and brought in distinction bill which became the Practice Audit Act establishing the UK's National Audit Office and conception it clear that the Businessperson and Auditor General, its tendency, was an officer of illustriousness House of Commons with open to inspect the value grip money of government spending.

St John-Stevas stood down from significance House of Commons at honourableness general election, being created expert life peer in the Studio of Lords with the name Baron St John of Fawsley of Preston Capes in integrity County of Northamptonshire on 19 October ^[12]

Chairman of the Talk Fine Art Commission

He was Chair of the Royal Fine Attention Commission from to His holding was wracked by controversy.

Situation was hoped that his blind date would revitalise and popularise integrity commission, which had not unvarying produced an annual report suffer privation many years. Stevas succeeded just the thing "inject[ing] a bit of polish and excitement" into the commission.^[3] However it also became orderly mouthpiece for Lord St John's own views and preferences (most prominently in the annual 1 of the Year award).

Nobleman St John adorned his authorize with paintings from national collections, documents were presented in colour boxes and he was served by a chauffeur and ex-civil servants, in accommodation more opulent than that of most secretaries of state: prompting one observer to quip that "if proscribed cannot have power, he atrophy have the trappings".

The exigency of such extravagance was questionable in a government report gross Sir Geoffrey Chipperfield.^[13]

The Commission stalwartly criticised the plans for leadership Millennium Wheel on London's Southward Bank even though three suffer defeat the Commissioners were enthusiastic be aware it.

After an ill-tempered conference in which Stevas was purportedly rude to the Wheel's architects, Sherban Cantacuzino, the commission's marshal, wrote to the architects saying: "I am sure that yes enjoys putting people down, flurry of us have suffered stranger his bullying".^[3]

Despite all predictions, perform Stevas was reappointed for fine third term as chairman.^[3]

Master mean Emmanuel College, Cambridge

His tenure orangutan Master of Emmanuel College tackle Cambridge University ( to ) was at times controversial.

Proceed built a new lecture stage production with ancillary rooms (the Queen's Building) at the cost lose some £8 million, the surge of which were pushed be in aid of by Lord St John's urgency on re-opening the quarries nickname Ketton, Rutland, to obtain limestone from the same source evade which the college's Wren nature was built.^[14] Some of class college's fellows apparently first challenging doubts about the wisdom keep in good condition appointing Stevas when several near his friends were caught plain one night in the Fellows' Garden swimming pool.^[3]

Stevas succeeded elaborate promoting the college through House and Garden and Hello!, even though some fellows were angered what because Mohammed al-Fayed, who had congratulatory £, to a new amplitude of the college, was rewarded with a "Harrods Room" avoid an honorary membership of goodness college, an honour Stevas made-up.

The relationship between Master current College worsened to the arrange that "one tutor started dividing wall out copies of the Master's pronouncements in his role chimp 'constitutional expert' with a passion for the student who marked the greatest number of permissible mistakes".^[3]

Stevas's critics alleged that oversight spent too much time seam a small clique of leak out school-educated young men who "were favoured with introductions to profit and captains of industry, explicate dinners at White's, private entertainer performances at the Master's Gatehouse and long, affectionate letters".^[3] Stevas would also cut undergraduates open up in mid-sentence with a chill remark in Latin and launch an attack members of other colleges Emmanuel gained the nickname "Mein Camp".^[3]

After his retirement as Master operate maintained his ties with Emmanuel College, which he used let alone time to time as unadorned venue for events of significance Royal Fine Art Commission Trust.^[15]

Personal life

Lord St John was smashing prominent Roman Catholic.

He was also Patron of the Protestant Society of King Charles righteousness Martyr, and Grand Bailiff get into England and Wales of say publicly Military and Hospitaller Order center Saint Lazarus (statuted ).

He was chairman of the Expanded New Bearings group in illustriousness early s whose members contained the Bishop Augustine Harris.

In mint condition Bearings' purpose was to outfit support to priests and nuns who were struggling with their vocation and operated independently shun the church.

His partner obey over fifty years was Physiologist Stanford. They met in take care of Oxford, where Lord St Privy taught Stanford law. They entered into a civil partnership presently before Lord St John's transience bloodshed enabling only the latter fight back face inheritance tax when sand died.

Without this 40% rivalry £ million would be at once liable to tax but consumed by any agricultural, active beg off business and charity bequests, which are not published in interpretation public calendars of probate.

He was noted for his multitudinous personal affectations, including proffering authority hand in papal fashion, fall back into Latin whilst speaking, keep from deliberately mispronouncing modern words.^[13] Uncomplicated loyal monarchist, Lord St Can enjoyed a close relationship resume the British Royal Family.^[16] In the near future after his elevation to leadership Lords, photographs of him suspend purple bedroom slippers appeared get Hello! magazine while he lounged in the bedroom of fillet former rectory home in Northampton with a signed photograph revenue Princess Margaret prominently displayed.

Drifter personal notes were written razorsharp purple ink. After his advancement to the Lords, he was an active member and drippy only official House of Lords-headed stationery. He lived in Montpellier Square, Knightsbridge, and had unadorned house in Northamptonshire.^[17]

The Catholic Herald, a newspaper that St John-Stevas had contributed to on several occasions, wrote on his transience bloodshed that 'Unlike a lot competition people who have trodden illustriousness corridors of power, he was not in the least guarded about his experiences.

He worshipped the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and Pius IX. His semi-detached in Northamptonshire was filled industrial action relics and pictures of repeated three. He even had smashing cassock which was supposed flesh out have belonged to the Full of good works Pius, and on occasions, proscribed wore it to fancy put on clothing parties'.^[18]

He died at his fair in London on 2 Go , aged 82, after spiffy tidy up short illness.^[3][19] His homosexuality was summarised by Simon Hoggart fluky The Guardian obituary note: "He lived in that period whither gay politicians never came "out", yet were happy for mankind to know.

He lived courage as a camp performance."^[20]

Distinctions

Arms

Bibliography

By Soprano St John Stevas

• Before the Dusk Fades: An Autobiography, HarperCollins ()
• The Two Cities, Faber & Faber, London ()
• Pope John-Paul II: Emperor Travels and Mission, Faber & Faber, London ()
• Agonising Choice: Opening Control, Religion and Law, Lake & Spottiswoode, London ()
• Bagehot's Chronological Essays, New York University Keep in check ()
• Law and Morals, Hawthorn Books, New York ()
• The Right journey Life, Holt, Rinehart & Winston ()
• Life, Death and the Law, Indiana University Press ()
• Walter Bagehot A study of his duration & thought together with simple selection from his political writings, Indiana University Press ()

Edited overstep Norman St John Stevas

• Bagehot, Director, St John Stevas, Norman (Editor): The Collected Works of Director Bagehot: Volumes 1–15, The Economist/ Harvard University Press (–)

References

Sources

External links