Geoffrey Johnson Smith
Encyclopedia
Sir Geoffrey Johnson-Smith, PC
, DL
(Glasgow, 16 April 1924 – 11 August 2010
) was a Conservative
politician in the United Kingdom
. He was a Member of Parliament
(MP) from 1959 to 2001, with only a brief interruption in the 1960s.
The son of an electrical engineer, he was always proud of his birth city. He joined the Royal Artillery straight from Charterhouse School
in 1942 and after the war was demobilised as a captain.
At Lincoln College, Oxford
, he read PPE. Contemporaries remember him as Oxford’s best-dressed socialist, though he always insisted he never joined the Labour Party. In his final year he and Robin Day
took part in a debating tour of United States run by the English-Speaking Union
. From Oxford he joined the British Information Services, serving in San Francisco, where he met his wife, Jeanne, an American doctor whom he married in 1951.
He was later a presenter of the BBC political programme Tonight
in the late 1950s.
Shortly before the 1959 general election, Cliff Michelmore
, Tonight’s presenter, had a hernia operation and Johnson-Smith was promoted to co-host the show for six weeks. His profile was thus at its highest when the election was called, and on 8 October 1959 he ousted the Labour member for Holborn and St Pancras South
Lena Jeger, by 656 votes.
He successfully promoted a Bill authorising councils to operate a meals-on-wheels service for the elderly and was soon on the fast track, within six months becoming PPS to ministers at the Board of Trade; in 1962 he moved to the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance.
His parliamentary career was interrupted in October 1964 when Lena Jeger, as Labour came to power, had her revenge by 2,756 votes. He briefly returned to television, freelancing for the BBC and Rediffusion’s religious programmes.
However, he returned to the House of Commons the following year at a by-election
in the safe Conservative seat of East Grinstead
. When that constituency was abolished for the 1983 election
, he was returned for the new Wealden constituency
, and held that seat until he retired at the 2001 general election
.
Sir Alec Douglas-Home quickly appointed him an Opposition whip, and when Edward Heath
became leader that summer he made Johnson-Smith a party vice-chairman.
When Heath came to power in 1970 he kept Johnson-Smith at Central Office. Soon afterwards Iain Macleod
died suddenly, the party Chairman Anthony Barber taking his place and Johnson-Smith becoming acting chairman. He was never in the running for the top job, despite his popularity among Conservative ladies, and in April 1971 he instead became Under-Secretary for Defence for the Army.
Johnson-Smith, who was later to launch a successful campaign on behalf of haemophiliacs who had been given infected blood, fought a long battle to curb the Church of Scientology. The Church had its headquarters near East Grinstead and in 1970 he endured a six-week libel case before a jury vindicated his stance.
After the Bloody Sunday
killings of January 1972, he mounted an uncompromising defence of the Parachute Regiment: “It is bad enough for our troops to have to run all the perils and be shot at by gunmen without having their pain increased by smears in this House.”
In November 1972 Heath moved him sideways to the Civil Service Department, with the remit of sharpening presentation of government policy. His time there was dominated by the Kenneth Littlejohn
affair, which was still rumbling on when Heath called a snap election in February 1974. Johnson Smith fought a skilful media campaign, but could not prevent Heath losing.
When Margaret Thatcher
took the leadership, she asked him to oversee media activities at Central Office alongside a fellow television professional, Gordon Reece
. After her 1979 election victory he joined the 1922 executive and chaired the party’s backbench media committee.
From 1980 to 1996 he chaired the select committee on Member's Interests, having to field embarrassing questions about the business activities of Mrs Thatcher’s son Mark.
Johnson-Smith specialised increasingly in defence. From 1985 he chaired the military committee of the North Atlantic Assembly, and from 1987 to 1997 he led the British delegation. For six years he chaired the Conservative backbench defence committee.
He was knighted in 1982 and sworn of the Privy Council in 1996.
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(Glasgow, 16 April 1924 – 11 August 2010
) was a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He was a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) from 1959 to 2001, with only a brief interruption in the 1960s.
The son of an electrical engineer, he was always proud of his birth city. He joined the Royal Artillery straight from Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
in 1942 and after the war was demobilised as a captain.
At Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
, he read PPE. Contemporaries remember him as Oxford’s best-dressed socialist, though he always insisted he never joined the Labour Party. In his final year he and Robin Day
Robin Day
Sir Robin Day, OBE was a British political broadcaster and commentator. His obituary in the Guardian stated that "he was the most outstanding television journalist of his generation...
took part in a debating tour of United States run by the English-Speaking Union
English-Speaking Union
The English-Speaking Union is an international educational charity which was founded by the journalist Evelyn Wrench in 1918. The ESU aims to "bring together and empower people of different languages and cultures," by building skills and confidence in communication, such that individuals realize...
. From Oxford he joined the British Information Services, serving in San Francisco, where he met his wife, Jeanne, an American doctor whom he married in 1951.
He was later a presenter of the BBC political programme Tonight
Tonight (1957 TV series)
Tonight was a BBC television current affairs programme presented by Cliff Michelmore and broadcast in Britain live on weekday evenings from February 1957 to 1965. The producers were the future Controller of BBC1 Donald Baverstock and the future Director-General of the BBC Alasdair Milne...
in the late 1950s.
Shortly before the 1959 general election, Cliff Michelmore
Cliff Michelmore
Arthur Clifford "Cliff" Michelmore CBE is a British television presenter and producer. He is best known for the BBC television programme Tonight, which he presented from 1957 to 1965....
, Tonight’s presenter, had a hernia operation and Johnson-Smith was promoted to co-host the show for six weeks. His profile was thus at its highest when the election was called, and on 8 October 1959 he ousted the Labour member for Holborn and St Pancras South
Holborn and St Pancras South (UK Parliament constituency)
Holborn and St Pancras South was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Holborn district of Central London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.The constituency was created for...
Lena Jeger, by 656 votes.
He successfully promoted a Bill authorising councils to operate a meals-on-wheels service for the elderly and was soon on the fast track, within six months becoming PPS to ministers at the Board of Trade; in 1962 he moved to the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance.
His parliamentary career was interrupted in October 1964 when Lena Jeger, as Labour came to power, had her revenge by 2,756 votes. He briefly returned to television, freelancing for the BBC and Rediffusion’s religious programmes.
However, he returned to the House of Commons the following year at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in the safe Conservative seat of East Grinstead
East Grinstead (UK Parliament constituency)
East Grinstead was a parliamentary constituency in the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. It first existed as a Parliamentary borough from 1307, returning two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons elected by the bloc vote system...
. When that constituency was abolished for the 1983 election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, he was returned for the new Wealden constituency
Wealden (UK Parliament constituency)
Wealden is a county constituency covering the Wealden district in East Sussex. It is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:...
, and held that seat until he retired at the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
.
Sir Alec Douglas-Home quickly appointed him an Opposition whip, and when Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
became leader that summer he made Johnson-Smith a party vice-chairman.
When Heath came to power in 1970 he kept Johnson-Smith at Central Office. Soon afterwards Iain Macleod
Iain Macleod
Iain Norman Macleod was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Early life:...
died suddenly, the party Chairman Anthony Barber taking his place and Johnson-Smith becoming acting chairman. He was never in the running for the top job, despite his popularity among Conservative ladies, and in April 1971 he instead became Under-Secretary for Defence for the Army.
Johnson-Smith, who was later to launch a successful campaign on behalf of haemophiliacs who had been given infected blood, fought a long battle to curb the Church of Scientology. The Church had its headquarters near East Grinstead and in 1970 he endured a six-week libel case before a jury vindicated his stance.
After the Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1972)
Bloody Sunday —sometimes called the Bogside Massacre—was an incident on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in which twenty-six unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by soldiers of the British Army...
killings of January 1972, he mounted an uncompromising defence of the Parachute Regiment: “It is bad enough for our troops to have to run all the perils and be shot at by gunmen without having their pain increased by smears in this House.”
In November 1972 Heath moved him sideways to the Civil Service Department, with the remit of sharpening presentation of government policy. His time there was dominated by the Kenneth Littlejohn
Kenneth Littlejohn
Kenneth Littlejohn , born c. 1941, from Birmingham, where he attended King Edward VI Grammar School, Aston, is a convicted armed robber and gaol-breaker who claimed to be an MI6/Official IRA double Agent...
affair, which was still rumbling on when Heath called a snap election in February 1974. Johnson Smith fought a skilful media campaign, but could not prevent Heath losing.
When Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
took the leadership, she asked him to oversee media activities at Central Office alongside a fellow television professional, Gordon Reece
Gordon Reece
Sir James Gordon Reece was a British journalist and television producer who worked as a political strategist for Margaret Thatcher during the 1979 general election which led to her victory over then prime minister James Callaghan...
. After her 1979 election victory he joined the 1922 executive and chaired the party’s backbench media committee.
From 1980 to 1996 he chaired the select committee on Member's Interests, having to field embarrassing questions about the business activities of Mrs Thatcher’s son Mark.
Johnson-Smith specialised increasingly in defence. From 1985 he chaired the military committee of the North Atlantic Assembly, and from 1987 to 1997 he led the British delegation. For six years he chaired the Conservative backbench defence committee.
He was knighted in 1982 and sworn of the Privy Council in 1996.