James Spicer
Encyclopedia
Sir James Wilton Spicer, known as Jim Spicer, (born 4 October 1925) is a British
Conservative
politician.
Spicer was Member of Parliament
(MP) for West Dorset from February 1974
until he retired at the 1997 general election
, when he was succeeded by Oliver Letwin
. He was a vice-chairman of the Conservative Party, and was also an Member of the European Parliament
from 1975 to 1984, representing Wessex
from 1979 until 1984.
At 14 he was an air raid messenger in London during the Blitz. At 15 he was in a Commando Section of his local Home Guard. Whilst at 16 he worked as a labourer in a scrap metal yard, before joining the army. Commissioned at 18, he served in North West Europe during the war and thereafter in Egypt, Kenya, Cyprus and finally in 1958, with the Parachute Regiment in the ill-fated attack on Port Said.
He resigned his Commission and moved with his wife, Winfy, to Beaminster, where they farmed. Politics became a consuming interest; and in 1974, he became the MP for his own Constituency of West Dorset. As a politician, he saw "service" as a vice Chairman of the Conservative Party, Chairman of the International office. Chief Whip in the European Parliament and finally, the first Chairman of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. During his long career, he had one to one meetings with Ceausescu, Saddam Hussein, President Assad, Mugabe and many other World leaders - good and bad alike.
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...
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.
Spicer was 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) for West Dorset from February 1974
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
until he retired at the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, when he was succeeded by Oliver Letwin
Oliver Letwin
Oliver Letwin MP FRSA is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he is currently the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, and a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of West Dorset...
. He was a vice-chairman of the Conservative Party, and was also an Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
from 1975 to 1984, representing Wessex
Wessex (European Parliament constituency)
Wessex was a European Parliament constituency covering all of Dorset in England, plus parts of western Hampshire and southern Wiltshire. It was named after the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex....
from 1979 until 1984.
At 14 he was an air raid messenger in London during the Blitz. At 15 he was in a Commando Section of his local Home Guard. Whilst at 16 he worked as a labourer in a scrap metal yard, before joining the army. Commissioned at 18, he served in North West Europe during the war and thereafter in Egypt, Kenya, Cyprus and finally in 1958, with the Parachute Regiment in the ill-fated attack on Port Said.
He resigned his Commission and moved with his wife, Winfy, to Beaminster, where they farmed. Politics became a consuming interest; and in 1974, he became the MP for his own Constituency of West Dorset. As a politician, he saw "service" as a vice Chairman of the Conservative Party, Chairman of the International office. Chief Whip in the European Parliament and finally, the first Chairman of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. During his long career, he had one to one meetings with Ceausescu, Saddam Hussein, President Assad, Mugabe and many other World leaders - good and bad alike.