John Bush (Lord Lieutenant)
Encyclopedia
John Barnard Bush OBE
CStJ
JP
(born Marlborough, Wiltshire, 1937) is the current Lord Lieutenant
of the English county
of Wiltshire, serving since 2004. He had previously been the county's High Sheriff
.
, Somerset
, and of Elizabeth Bush (née
Weeks), Bush was educated at Monkton Combe School
and Balliol College, Oxford
, graduating BA
and MA
.
in western Wiltshire
.
He served from 1995 to 1999 as non-executive chairman of West Midland Farmers Association Ltd, a regional agricultural co-operative previously based in Melksham
, Wiltshire. He oversaw its demutualization
in 1999 to become Countrywide Farmers plc, a farming, equestrian and rural supplies firm, continuing as Chairman until 2004. When he retired from the post, Countrywide Farmers had 11,000 farmer shareholders and an annual turnover of £150 million.
He was appointed a Justice of the Peace
for Wiltshire in 1980, as High Sheriff of Wiltshire
for 1997–1998, and as a Deputy Lieutenant
of the county in 1998. He served as Chairman of the Bristol Avon Flood Defences Committee from 1981 to 2000, and of the Wiltshire Magistrates' Court
s Committee from 2001 to 2005, and was a Governor of Lackham College between 1986 and 1998. His other interests in Wiltshire have included chairing the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust.
William Bagwell RN
of Clonmel
, County Tipperary
and of Evelyn Irene Hamilton Wills, the only child of Sir Frederick Wills, 1st Baronet
. They have two children, Alexander Hugh Barnard Bush (born 4 October 1964) and Carolyn Louise Bush (called Carly, and born 18 July 1967). They also have five grandchildren, Morgan, Jasmine, Scarlett, Thomas and Lucy.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
CStJ
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(born Marlborough, Wiltshire, 1937) is the current Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
of the English county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Wiltshire, serving since 2004. He had previously been the county's High Sheriff
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
.
Early life
The son of Barnard Robert Swanton Bush, of Norton St PhilipNorton St Philip
Norton St Philip is a village in Somerset, England, located between the City of Bath and the town of Frome. The village is in the district of Mendip, and the parliamentary constituency of Somerton and Frome....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, and of Elizabeth Bush (née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Weeks), Bush was educated at Monkton Combe School
Monkton Combe School
Monkton Combe School is an independent boarding and day school of the British public school tradition, near Bath, England. The Senior School is located in the village of Monkton Combe, while the Prep School, Pre-Prep and Nursery are in Combe Down on the southern outskirts of Bath...
and Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, graduating BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
.
Career
Bush is a career farmer, owning a mixed farm at HeywoodHeywood, Wiltshire
Heywood is a civil parish near Westbury in the county of Wiltshire in England, UK. It has 790 inhabitants.-History:In the environs is situated the remaining wing of the manor house of Brooke, known as Brooke Hall, is amongst the Grade I listed buildings in Wiltshire. This manor was held in the 14th...
in western Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.
He served from 1995 to 1999 as non-executive chairman of West Midland Farmers Association Ltd, a regional agricultural co-operative previously based in Melksham
Melksham
Melksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon. It lies in the county of Wiltshire.It is situated southeast of the city of Bath, south of Chippenham, west of Devizes and north of Warminster on the A350 national route. The 2001 UK census cited Melksham as having 20,000...
, Wiltshire. He oversaw its demutualization
Demutualization
Demutualization is the process by which a customer-owned mutual organization or co-operative changes legal form to a joint stock company. It is sometimes called stocking or privatization. As part of the demutualization process, members of a mutual usually receive a "windfall" payout, in the form...
in 1999 to become Countrywide Farmers plc, a farming, equestrian and rural supplies firm, continuing as Chairman until 2004. When he retired from the post, Countrywide Farmers had 11,000 farmer shareholders and an annual turnover of £150 million.
He was appointed a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Wiltshire in 1980, as High Sheriff of Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
for 1997–1998, and as a Deputy Lieutenant
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....
of the county in 1998. He served as Chairman of the Bristol Avon Flood Defences Committee from 1981 to 2000, and of the Wiltshire Magistrates' Court
Magistrates' Court
A magistrates' court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions...
s Committee from 2001 to 2005, and was a Governor of Lackham College between 1986 and 1998. His other interests in Wiltshire have included chairing the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust.
Lord Lieutenant
His public duties include:- Overseeing arrangements for visits to Wiltshire by members of the Royal Family and escorting Royal visitors
- Presentating awards and medals on behalf of H.M. the QueenElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
- Representing H.M. the Queen at events
- Liaising with the Wiltshire unit of the Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world... - Leading the local magistracyMagistrateA magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
as Chairman of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Justices of the PeaceJustice of the PeaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions... - Advising on nominations for national honoursBritish honours systemThe British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories...
Honours
- 1997-1998: High Sheriff of WiltshireHigh Sheriff of WiltshireThis is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
- 1998: Deputy LieutenantDeputy LieutenantIn 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....
of Wiltshire - 2004: Officer of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(for services to the community in Wiltshire) - 10 November 2004: Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire
- 27 July 2005: Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint JohnVenerable Order of Saint JohnThe Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
Family
On 30 December 1961, Bush married Pamela Eve Irene Bagwell, the daughter of Lieutenant-CommanderLieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
William Bagwell RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
of Clonmel
Clonmel
Clonmel is the county town of South Tipperary in Ireland. It is the largest town in the county. While the borough had a population of 15,482 in 2006, another 17,008 people were in the rural hinterland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked both...
, County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
and of Evelyn Irene Hamilton Wills, the only child of Sir Frederick Wills, 1st Baronet
Sir Frederick Wills, 1st Baronet
Sir Frederick Wills, 1st Baronet was a businessman in the United Kingdom. He was a director of W. D. & H. O. Wills, which later merged into the Imperial Tobacco Company....
. They have two children, Alexander Hugh Barnard Bush (born 4 October 1964) and Carolyn Louise Bush (called Carly, and born 18 July 1967). They also have five grandchildren, Morgan, Jasmine, Scarlett, Thomas and Lucy.