George Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth

For other people with the same name, see George Thomson (disambiguation).
The Right Honourable
The Lord Thomson of Monifieth
KT PC DL FRSE
European Commissioner for Regional Policy
In office
6 January 1973  5 January 1977
President François-Xavier Ortoli
Preceded by Albert Borschette
Succeeded by Antonio Giolitti
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
In office
8 July 1970  10 April 1972
Leader Harold Wilson
Preceded by Geoffrey Rippon
Succeeded by Fred Peart
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office
6 October 1969  20 June 1970
Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Preceded by Frederick Lee
Succeeded by Anthony Barber
In office
6 April 1966  7 January 1967
Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Preceded by Douglas Houghton
Succeeded by Frederick Lee
Minister without Portfolio
In office
17 October 1968  6 October 1969
Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Preceded by Patrick Gordon-Walker
Succeeded by The Lord Drumalbyn
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
In office
29 August 1967  17 October 1968
Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Preceded by Herbert Bowden
Succeeded by Michael Stewart (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs)
Member of Parliament
for Dundee East
In office
17 July 1952  1 March 1973
Preceded by Thomas Cook
Succeeded by George Machin
Personal details
Born (1921-01-16)16 January 1921
Penn, England, UK
Died 3 October 2008(2008-10-03) (aged 87)
London, England, UK
Political party Labour Party (Before 1981)
Social Democratic (1981–1988)
Liberal Democrats (1988–2008)
Spouse(s) Grace Thomson
Children Caroline

George Morgan Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth, KT, PC, DL, FRSE (16 January 1921 – 3 October 2008) was a journalist and British politician who served as a Labour Party MP. He was a member of Harold Wilson's cabinet, and later became a European Commissioner.

In the 1980s, he joined the Social Democratic Party. Following the SDP's merger with the Liberal Party, he became a Liberal Democrat and sat as a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.

Early life

Thomson was educated at Grove Academy, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, and served in the Royal Air Force from 1941–46. He was the assistant editor and then editor of Forward, a socialist newspaper, from 1946–53.[1]

Political career

At the 1950 and 1951 general elections, Thomson stood unsuccessfully in Glasgow Hillhead. In 1952, he was elected Member of Parliament in a by-election for Dundee East, where he served until his resignation in 1972. He served in the Wilson government as Minister of State, Foreign Office, from October 1964 to April 1966, then as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1966–67, and again from 1969–70, Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs from 1967–68, and Minister without Portfolio from 1968–69. During his time as Commonwealth Secretary he had responsibility for trying to reach a settlement of the Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) question and for implementing sanctions against the regime there. He was one of the first British Commissioners of the European Community (EC) from 1973–77, with responsibility for regional policy. As chairman of the Independent Broadcasting Authority from 1981–88 he oversaw the introduction of Channel 4 and TV-am.[2]

He was Chair of the Advertising Standards Authority from 1977–80; Chair of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) 1981–88; a European Commissioner, with responsibility for Regional Policy 1973–76; First Crown Estate Commissioner from 1977–80; and a Member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life from 1994 until 1997. He was Deputy Chair of the Woolwich Building Society from 1988–91. He had been a Lords' Member of the Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit since 1993. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Television Society, and a patron of Sustrans.[3]

In 1985 he was invited to deliver the MacMillan Memorial Lecture to the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland; he chose "Does Public Broadcasting Have a Future? The Challenge of the New Technologies". After moving with his wife, Grace, to Charing, Kent, Thomson held the position of Party President, for Ashford Liberal Democrats, from 1999–2006.

Death

He died on Friday 3 October 2008 at London's St Thomas' Hospital, from a viral infection.[4][5] He was survived by his wife, Grace, Lady Thomson (1925-2014),[6] and their two daughters, Ailsa and Caroline,[7] the former Chief Operating Officer of the BBC.

Honours and styles of address

Honours

Thomson received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1973.[8]

Thomson was made a Privy Counsellor in 1966, was created a Life Peer on 23 March 1977 as Baron Thomson of Monifieth, of Monifieth in the District of the City of Dundee,[9] and became a Knight of the Thistle in 1981.[10]

Styles of address

References

Media offices
Preceded by
Emrys Hughes
Editor of Forward
1948–1953
Position abolished
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Thomas Cook
Member of Parliament
for Dundee East

19521973
Succeeded by
George Machin
Political offices
Preceded by
Douglas Houghton
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
1966–1967
Succeeded by
Frederick Lee
Preceded by
Herbert Bowden
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
1967–1968
Succeeded by
Michael Stewart
as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Preceded by
Patrick Gordon-Walker
Minister without Portfolio
1968–1969
Succeeded by
The Lord Drumalbyn
Preceded by
Frederick Lee
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
1969–1970
Succeeded by
Anthony Barber
Preceded by
Geoffrey Rippon
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
1970–1972
Succeeded by
Fred Peart
New office British European Commissioner
1973–1977
Served alongside: Christopher Soames
Succeeded by
Roy Jenkins
Christopher Tugendhat
Preceded by
Albert Borschette
European Commissioner for Regional Policy
1973–1977
Succeeded by
Antonio Giolitti
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