Profile of Douglas Hurd on Famous Like Me

Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC (born March 8, 1930), is a British politician in the Conservative Party, and a patron of the Tory Reform Group.

Eldest son of Baron Hurd, he was born in Marlborough, Wiltshire, and attended Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge where he was President of the Cambridge Union Society. In 1952 he joined the diplomatic service and in 1966 became a member of the Conservative Party. He was secretary to Edward Heath, and was then elected to Parliament in 1974. During his 23 years in parliament he represented the constituencies of Mid-Oxfordshire (Feb. 1974 - 1983), and Witney (1983 - 1997). 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 the County of Oxfordshire, in 1997, and remains active, supporting the pro-European wing of the Conservative party, notably Kenneth Clarke, and often criticising the leadership.

Douglas Hurd is also well known as a novelist of political thrillers including The Arrow War (1967), Truth Game (1972), Vote To Kill (1975), An End To Promises (1979), Image in the Water, and Palace of Enchantments (1985, with Stephen Lamport).

During the war in Bosnia, Hurd was widely seen as the European politican most opposed to extending any help to the Bosniaks and he strongly argued against any military intervention to stop the war. Shortly after his resignation, Hurd travelled to Serbia to secure business contracts with Slobodan Milosevic, adding fuel to speculations that he had taken a very pro-Serbian line. After the war, Hurd came under strong criticism, even from within his own party. Brendan Simms' book Unfinest Hour deals with British efforts to halt any foreign intervention in the war and is especially critical of Hurd. The Bosnian government even threatened to charge Hurd as an accomplice to genocide before the war tribunal in The Hague.

Hurd's son, Nick Hurd, is also a Conservative politician and was elected Member of Parliament for Ruislip-Northwood at the May 2005 general election. His father, Anthony Hurd, was also an MP for Newbury.

Ref: http://www.oomgallery.net/gallery.asp?location=41&c=251 Photographs of Douglas Hurd at Handsworth riots 1985 Pogus Caesar OOM Gallery

A "Douglas Hurd" is Cockney rhyming slang for a "Turd" in the United Kingdom, named after the minister.

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