Norman Miscampbell

Norman Miscampbell
Norman Miscampbell
Member of Parliament ; for Blackpool North
	In office; 13 March 1962 – 16 March 1992
Preceded by	Toby Low
Succeeded by	Harold Elletson
Personal details
Born	20 February 1925; Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland
Died	16 February 2007 (aged 81); London, England
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Alma mater	Trinity College, Oxford

Norman Alexander Miscampbell,

QC (20 February 1925 – 16 February 2007) was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Blackpool North for 30 years, from 1962 to 1992, making him Blackpool

's longest serving MP.

Early life

Miscampbell was born in

salt mine in Northern Ireland, and his father worked for ICI. He was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford, and served with the 4th Queen's Own Hussars

in Italy and Germany during World War II, from 1943 to 1945.

He studied economics at

Queen's Counsel in April 1974, and a bencher

in 1983.

He married Margaret Kendall in 1961. They had two sons and two daughters.

Political career

Miscampbell served as a councillor on Hoylake Urban District Council from 1955 to 1961. He contested the safe Labour Party seat of Newton-le-Willows in 1955 and 1959, losing to the incumbent Fred Lee twice.

He was selected to fight

Bill Rogers and Tam Dalyell

were all elected at by-elections.

Miscampbell became a strong advocate for the interests of his

Assisted Places Scheme, and sent all four of his children to comprehensive schools

.

He never held ministerial office, but served as

poll tax

) in 1986.

Later life

Having failed to secure political advancement, Miscampbell increasingly concentrated on his legal career. He served as an assistant recorder and deputy

Criminal Injuries Compensation Board

from March 1993 until it was wound up in March 2000.

Norman Miscampbell died of undisclosed causes at a hospital in London on 16 February 2007, four days before his 82nd birthday. His wife and their two sons and two daughters survived him.

Margaret Thatcher recommended his appointment to a knighthood, which he declined reportedly because he thought it would prevent him enjoying his retirement from political activity. His name is in the Cabinet Office list of declined honours ^[1] disclosed on 26 January 2012.

References

^ "Record of Honours not taken up" (PDF). Cabinet Office.

The Times Guide to the House of Commons, Times Newspapers Ltd, 1955, 1966 & 1987
Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages ^{[better source needed]}
House of Commons Hansard, 8 July 1993, Written Answers to Questions, cols 203-8, see col. 207
National Archives
Tributes to former Blackpool MP, Blackpool Today (22 February 2007)
Obituary, The Times, 24 February 2007
Obituary, The Independent, 26 February 2007
Obituary, The Guardian, 1 March 2007
Obituary^{[dead link]}, The Daily Telegraph, 27 March 2007

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Norman Miscampbell

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Toby Low	Member of Parliament for Blackpool North 1962–1992	Succeeded by Harold Elletson

[1] "Record of Honours not taken up" (PDF). Cabinet Office.

[1]