Victor Goodhew
Encyclopedia
Sir Victor Henry Goodhew (30 November 1919 - 11 October 2006) was a British
politician. He was Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) for St Albans
for 24 years, from 1959 to 1983, and was an early member of the Conservative Monday Club
. Although he held right-wing views — he supported hanging
, supported Enoch Powell
's views on immigration
, and supported closer links with the white regimes in Rhodesia
and South Africa
— he served as a government whip under Ted Heath
in the early 1970s. His later career was blighted by ill health.
, he was educated at King's College School
, and then articled
to a chartered accountant
, and joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1938, before he qualified. He was called up to serve in the Royal Air Force
from the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. After serving as an operations room controller and radar controller, he became commander of the Airborne Radar Unit attached to the 6th Airborne Division, and was promoted to Squadron Leader
in 1945. He was demobilised in 1946, and became a director of the family company.
from 1953 to 1959, and on the London County Council
from 1958 to 1961. He contested the parliamentary seat of Paddington North
for the Conservative Party in the 1955 general election
, but was unable to unseat the Labour incumbent, Ben Parkin
. He was shortlisted in 1957 as a prospective candidate for Warwick and Leamington, the seat vacated by the retirement of Prime Minister Anthony Eden
, but Sir John Hobson
was selected ahead of him. He finally beat William Rees-Mogg
to secure selection for the safer seat in St Albans
in Hertfordshire
, where he was elected Member of Parliament at the general election in October 1959
.
In Parliament, Goodhew served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Ian Orr-Ewing
, Civil Lord of the Admiralty, from 1962 to 1963, and then as PPS to Tam Galbraith
, Joint Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Transport
, from 1963 to 1964. The Conservatives were in opposition from 1964 to 1970. Ted Heath
became leader of the Conservatives in 1965. Heath and Goodhew held opposite views on Africa, and it seemed that Goodhew's career had little prospect of advancement.
Goodhew was an early member (1962) of the Conservative Monday Club
, formed to combat the influence of the Bow Group
on the Government's African policies. He took part, with four other MPs, in a Club public meeting in January 1962 which affirmed support for Sir Roy Welensky
and the Central African Federation, and Rhodesia
, and criticised the policies of the then Colonial Secretary
, Iain Macleod
. In 1970, the Club held a 'Law and Liberty' May Day
rally in Trafalgar Square
in answer to the left-wing "Stop the Seventies Tour" campaign designed to stop the South Africa
n cricket tour. Several of the Club's MPs spoke, including Victor Goodhew.
When the Conservatives returned to power in 1970
, Ted Heath appointed Goodhew as an Assistant Government Whip in June 1970, and he was promoted to a full government whip, as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, in October 1970. He suffered a heart attack in October 1973 and had coronary bypass surgery; he resigned his post as a whip on medical advice. However, he went on to serve as a Member of the Speaker's Panel of Chairmen from 1975 to 1983, and on the Select Committee for House of Commons Services from 1978 to 1983. He was a House of Commons Commissioner from 1979 to 1983, Joint Secretary to the 1922 Committee
from 1979 to 1983, and was Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Defence Committee from 1974 to 1983. He was made a Knight Bachelor
in 1982. He steered a Private Member's Bill
to the statute book, to allow "death-bed" marriages to take place outside licensed premises. After another heart attack and further coronary bypass surgery in 1981, he stood down at the 1983 general election
.
, Sussex
. His family owed a chain of restaurants. He was married and divorced three times. He first married Sylvia Johnson in 1940, but divorced. He then married Suzanne Gordon-Burge in 1951, but divorced again in 1972. Later that year he married Eva Rittinghausen, a Canadian and former girlfriend of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
, but was divorced a third time in 1981. He was survived by his son, from his first marriage; his daughter, also from his first marriage, pre-deceased him.
He died in Ascot
.
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...
politician. He was 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...
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 St Albans
St Albans (UK Parliament constituency)
St Albans is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Established in 1885, it is a county constituency in Hertfordshire, and elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.From 1554 to 1852 there was a...
for 24 years, from 1959 to 1983, and was an early member of the Conservative Monday Club
Conservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
. Although he held right-wing views — he supported hanging
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, supported Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
's views on immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
, and supported closer links with the white regimes in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
— he served as a government whip under Ted 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 ....
in the early 1970s. His later career was blighted by ill health.
Early life
Born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he was educated at King's College School
King's College School
King's College School, commonly referred to as KCS, King's, or KCS Wimbledon, is an independent school for day pupils in Wimbledon in south-west London. The school was founded as the junior department of King's College London and occupied part of its premises in Strand, before relocating to...
, and then articled
Articled clerk
An articled clerk, also known as an articling student, is an apprentice in a professional firm in Commonwealth countries. Generally the term arises in the accountancy profession and in the legal profession. The articled clerk signs a contract, known as "articles of clerkship", committing to a...
to a chartered accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
, and joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1938, before he qualified. He was called up to serve in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The 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...
from the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. After serving as an operations room controller and radar controller, he became commander of the Airborne Radar Unit attached to the 6th Airborne Division, and was promoted to Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
in 1945. He was demobilised in 1946, and became a director of the family company.
In politics
Goodhew served as a councillor on the Westminster City CouncilWestminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
from 1953 to 1959, and on the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
from 1958 to 1961. He contested the parliamentary seat of Paddington North
Paddington North (UK Parliament constituency)
Paddington North was a borough constituency in the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington in London which 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...
for the Conservative Party in the 1955 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
, but was unable to unseat the Labour incumbent, Ben Parkin
Ben Parkin
Benjamin Theaker Parkin was a British teacher and politician who served as Member of Parliament for Stroud and for Paddington North...
. He was shortlisted in 1957 as a prospective candidate for Warwick and Leamington, the seat vacated by the retirement of Prime Minister Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
, but Sir John Hobson
John Hobson (politician)
Sir John Gardiner Sumner Hobson PC was a British Conservative Party politician.-Career:He was first elected to the House of Commons at a 1957 by-election in the Warwick and Leamington constituency, caused by the resignation due to ill-health of the Conservative MP and former Prime Minister,...
was selected ahead of him. He finally beat William Rees-Mogg
William Rees-Mogg
William Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg is an English journalist and life peer.-Education:Rees-Mogg was educated at Clifton College Preparatory School in Bristol and Charterhouse School in Godalming, followed by Balliol College, Oxford...
to secure selection for the safer seat in St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, where he was elected Member of Parliament at the general election in October 1959
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
.
In Parliament, Goodhew served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Ian Orr-Ewing
Ian Orr-Ewing
Ian Orr-Ewing, Baron Orr-Ewing OBE CEng MIEE was a British Conservative politician.Orr-Ewing was a great-grandson of Sir Archibald Orr-Ewing, Bt. and was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Oxford...
, Civil Lord of the Admiralty, from 1962 to 1963, and then as PPS to Tam Galbraith
Tam Galbraith
The Hon. Sir Thomas Galloway Dunlop Galbraith, KBE , was a British Conservative politician....
, Joint Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
, from 1963 to 1964. The Conservatives were in opposition from 1964 to 1970. Ted 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 of the Conservatives in 1965. Heath and Goodhew held opposite views on Africa, and it seemed that Goodhew's career had little prospect of advancement.
Goodhew was an early member (1962) of the Conservative Monday Club
Conservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
, formed to combat the influence of the Bow Group
Bow Group
The Bow Group is one of the oldest think tanks in the United Kingdom. Taking its name from the Bow area of London where it first met, it was founded in 1951...
on the Government's African policies. He took part, with four other MPs, in a Club public meeting in January 1962 which affirmed support for Sir Roy Welensky
Roy Welensky
Sir Raphael "Roy" Welensky, KCMG was a Northern Rhodesian politician and the second and last prime minister of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland...
and the Central African Federation, and Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
, and criticised the policies of the then Colonial Secretary
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
, Iain Macleod
Iain Macleod
Iain Norman Macleod was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Early life:...
. In 1970, the Club held a 'Law and Liberty' May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
rally in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
in answer to the left-wing "Stop the Seventies Tour" campaign designed to stop the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n cricket tour. Several of the Club's MPs spoke, including Victor Goodhew.
When the Conservatives returned to power in 1970
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
, Ted Heath appointed Goodhew as an Assistant Government Whip in June 1970, and he was promoted to a full government whip, as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, in October 1970. He suffered a heart attack in October 1973 and had coronary bypass surgery; he resigned his post as a whip on medical advice. However, he went on to serve as a Member of the Speaker's Panel of Chairmen from 1975 to 1983, and on the Select Committee for House of Commons Services from 1978 to 1983. He was a House of Commons Commissioner from 1979 to 1983, Joint Secretary to the 1922 Committee
1922 Committee
In British politics, the 1922 Committee is a committee of Conservative Members of Parliament. Voting membership is limited to backbench MPs although frontbench Conservative MPs have an open invitation to attend meetings. While the party was in opposition, frontbench MPs other than the party leader...
from 1979 to 1983, and was Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Defence Committee from 1974 to 1983. He was made a Knight Bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in 1982. He steered a Private Member's Bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
to the statute book, to allow "death-bed" marriages to take place outside licensed premises. After another heart attack and further coronary bypass surgery in 1981, he stood down at the 1983 general 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...
.
Family
He was the son of Rudolph Goodhew of Mannings HeathMannings Heath
Mannings Heath is a village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England, on the A281 a few miles south-east of the town of Horsham. It lies in the civil parish of Nuthurst....
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. His family owed a chain of restaurants. He was married and divorced three times. He first married Sylvia Johnson in 1940, but divorced. He then married Suzanne Gordon-Burge in 1951, but divorced again in 1972. Later that year he married Eva Rittinghausen, a Canadian and former girlfriend of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
, but was divorced a third time in 1981. He was survived by his son, from his first marriage; his daughter, also from his first marriage, pre-deceased him.
He died in Ascot
Ascot, Berkshire
Ascot is a village within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
.