Hector Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm

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For other people named Hector Monro, see Hector Monro (disambiguation).

John Henry Orr
Succeeded byFrank Coutts
Personal details
Born
Hector Seymour Peter Monro

(1922-10-04)4 October 1922
Conservative
Spouse(s)Anne Welch (1949 –1994)
Doris Kaestner (1994 –2006)
Children2 Sons
Alma materKing's College, Cambridge

Hector Seymour Peter Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm,

Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for Dumfriesshire for over 32 years, from 1964 to 1997, and then a life peer in the House of Lords
.

After piloting

Lockerbie Disaster
in 1988, which occurred in his constituency.

Early and private life

Monro was born in Edinburgh and raised at Craigcleuch near Langholm in Dumfriesshire. His father, Alistair Monro, was a captain in the Cameron Highlanders; his maternal grandfather was Lieutenant General Sir Spencer Ewart. Monro was educated at Upland House School in Sussex, Canford School in Dorset, and King's College, Cambridge.[1]

He was a member of the

Catalinas
.

After he was

Air Commodore
from 1982 to 2000, and its honorary Inspector General from 1990 to 2000.

Monro married twice. He married Anne Welch in 1949. Their two sons joined the

major-general; Hughie is a retired brigadier. Monro's first wife died in 1994; later that year, he married a second time, to Doris Kaestner, a friend of his first wife. Monro's grandson, Ander Monro, has played for the Canada national rugby union team
.

Political career

Monro was elected as a

County Councillor from 1952, where he served until 1967. He was chairman and vice-president of the Dumfries Unionist Party and was elected MP for Dumfries in the 1964 general election, retaining his seat until he retired at the 1997 general election
.

He became a Conservative

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scottish Office between 28 July 1971 and 28 February 1974. He voted against his party on Scottish devolution, announcing his support for a Scottish Assembly in 1974.[1]

After the Conservatives lost the

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment under Michael Heseltine. He also had responsibility for some environmental issues, and was involved in strengthening the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
.

Monro came under some criticism for opposing the visit of a South African Barbarians rugby team to the UK and a return visit by the

Moscow Olympics, receiving a consolatory knighthood that year.[2] In 1986, he suggested that the government bill the Kremlin in the amount of £1 million and provide the amount to Scottish farmers in compensation for losses to sheep herds caused by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster
.

In 1988, a bomb exploded on Pan Am Flight 103, which crashed at Lockerbie, near his home. He was closely involved in the aftermath as the local constituency MP, and went out to Lockerbie with two other MPs. He was hailed by politicians of all political stripes for his compassion and caring; Scottish Labour MP Brian Wilson praised him as "a man who is truly a part of the community that he represents".[3]

He returned to the

Westerkirk in Dumfries and Galloway on 6 November 1997.[4]

The number of Conservative MPs from Scotland declined from 24 when he was first elected an MP in 1964 to nil after the 1997 general election. A

Norman Hogg, dubbed him "the last of the decent Tories".[5]

Outside politics

Monro was a president of the Scottish Rugby Union, and he was honorary president of Langholm RFC for over 20 years. He managed the 1970 Scotland rugby union tour to Australia but had to return home to fight the 1970 General Election.[6]

He was a long-serving member of the

country sports
.

Arms

Coat of arms of Hector Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm
Crest
A golden eagle close Proper.
Escutcheon
Or an eagle’s head erased Gules holding in its beak a stem of club moss Vert, on a chief paly of six Or and Sable a bend counterchanged.
Motto
Non Inferiora [7]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Long-serving MP Lord Monro dies". BBC News. 30 August 2006.
  2. ^ "No. 48819". The London Gazette. 11 December 1981. p. 15770.
  3. ^ Telegraph obituary; Guardian obituary.
  4. ^ "No. 54946". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 November 1997. p. 12703.
  5. ^ Guardian obituary.
  6. ISBN 0-09-131740-1
    .
  7. ^ Debrett's Peerage. 2000.

References

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
David Anderson
 Member of Parliament for Dumfries
1964–1997 		Succeeded by
Russell Brown
Political offices
Preceded by
Minister for Sport

1979–1981 		Succeeded by
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