Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell (1930-) is a British politician in the Conservative Party, and a patron of the Tory Reform Group.He was born in Marlborough, Wiltshire, and attended Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge where he was President of the Cambridge Union Society, and joined the diplomatic service in 1952. He joined the Conservative Party in 1966. He was secretary to Edward Heath, and was then elected to Parliament in 1974. He entered government during the Thatcher administration, and was propelled by a series of resignations into the position of Home Secretary in 1985 and then Foreign Secretary in 1989.
After Thatcher withdrew from the 1990 Conservative Party leadership elections, he was nominated as leader, but was beaten by John Major. He continued to serve in Major's cabinet, until his retirement as a minister in 1995. He did not stand for Parliament in the 1997 general elections.
He was created Baron Hurd of Westwell in 1997, and remains active, supporting the pro-European wing of the Conservative party, supporting Kenneth Clarke and often criticising the leadership.
| Preceded by: James Prior | Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1984-1985 | Followed by: Tom King |
| Preceded by: Leon Brittan | Home Secretary 1985-1989 | Followed by: David Waddington |
| Preceded by: John Major | Foreign Secretary 1989-1995 | Followed by: Malcolm Rifkind |