William Goodhart, Baron Goodhart

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William Howard Goodhart, Baron Goodhart QC (born 18 January 1933) is a British Liberal Democrat politician, a leading human rights lawyer and a former member of the House of Lords.[1]

Education

He was educated at Eton College, undertook National Service from 1951-1953, and graduated with a law degree from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1956 before winning a Harkness Fellowship to study law at Harvard University.[2]

Law

He was admitted to the bar in 1960 and made a Queen's Counsel in 1979.[3]

Politics

Originally a member of the Social Democrats, he contested the safe Conservative constituency of Kensington in both the 1983 and 1987 general elections.

When the SDP merged with the Liberals, he was one of the members who participated in the merger, and he subsequently fought the Kensington by-election of 1988 under the new Social and Liberal Democrats banner,[4] finishing a weak third.[5]

In the 1992 general election he contested the winnable seat of Oxford West and Abingdon for the again renamed Liberal Democrats.[6] Goodhart cut the Conservative majority by over 1,000 votes down to 3,500 but still finished second.[6]

Peerage

He was knighted 14 February 1989[3][7] and was created a life peer as Baron Goodhart, of Youlbury in the County of Oxfordshire on 23 October 1997.[8] In the House of Lords, he served as a spokesman for the Liberal Democrats in various capacities, usually relating to legal matters, including as the Liberal Democrats' Shadow Lord Chancellor.[3] He retired from the House of Lords on 15 May 2015.[9]

Family

William Goodhart is the son of Arthur Lehman Goodhart and the brother of Charles Goodhart and the late Sir Philip Goodhart.[10] He has three children with his wife, Celia (nee McClare) Goodhart:[11] Annabel Frances Goodhart (born 1967; married to James Dallas; three daughters), Laura Christabel Goodhart (born 1970; married to William Watts; three sons), and Benjamin Herbert Goodhart (born 1972; partner of Wendy Young; one son).[12]

Memberships

He was the Chairman of JUSTICE,[3] the UK section of the International Commission of Jurists, from 2007 to 2009 as well as serving as a Commissioner of the ICJ since 1993. He was elected as Vice-President of the ICJ in 2002. He is an honorary associate of the National Secular Society.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 51720. p. 5227. 2 May 1989.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 54932. p. 12093. 28 October 1997.
  9. ↑ http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/lords/retired-lords/ Retired members of the House of Lords
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Catalogue of the papers of Arthur Lehman Goodhart (1891-1978) by Ruth Burchnall University of Oxford, Bodleian Library - 1993 |With (Sir) William H. Goodhart, with a few letters from his wife Celia McClare Goodhart, and including letters to Cecily Goodhart, 1956-c.1970, with (fols. 50-6) letters to (Sir) William H. Goodhart from various correspondents, 1947-71
  12. ↑ The Guardian: "A vote for Mum and Dad - When Benjie Goodhart was a child, his parents fought – and lost – seven elections. Despite the embarrassment, boredom and tears, he's just so proud of them" by Benjie Goodhart 16 April 2010

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