Robert Carr

The Right Honourable The Lord Carr of Hadley PC
Carr in 1951
Lord President of the Council Leader of the House of Commons
In office 7 April – 18 July 1972
Prime Minister	Edward Heath
Preceded by	William Whitelaw
Succeeded by	James Prior
Home Secretary
In office 18 July 1972 – 4 March 1974
Prime Minister	Edward Heath
Preceded by	Reginald Maudling
Succeeded by	Roy Jenkins
Personal details
Born	11 November 1916(1916-11-11)
Died	17 February 2012(2012-02-17) (aged 95)
Political party	Conservative
Alma mater	Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

Leonard Robert Carr, Baron Carr of Hadley, PC (11 November 1916 – 17 February 2012)^[1] was a British Conservative Party politician.

Robert Carr was educated at Westminster School^[2] and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he read Natural Sciences, graduating in 1938. After graduation he applied his knowledge of Metallurgy at John Dale & Co, the family metal engineering firm.^[2]

He was elected Member of Parliament for Mitcham in 1950 and served there until 1974 when the seat was merged and he moved to Carshalton. In Edward Heath's government he served as Secretary of State for Employment and was responsible for the Industrial Relations Act 1971, which balanced the introduction of compensation for unfair dismissal with curbs on the freedom to strike and the virtual abolition of closed shop agreements.

In 1971 he escaped injury when The Angry Brigade anarchist group exploded two bombs outside his house.^[3] More than thirty years later a member of the group issued a public apology to Carr, and sent him a Christmas card.^[4]

In 1972 he served a brief period as Lord President of the Council and was then appointed Home Secretary after the resignation of Reginald Maudling. After his defeat in the first ballot of the 1975 Conservative leadership contest, Edward Heath asked Carr to "take over the functions of leader" until a new leader was elected.^[5]

He was created a Life peer as Baron Carr of Hadley, of Monken Hadley, North London, in 1976.

Carr died in 2012 at the age of 95; he was survived by his wife Joan and two daughters.^[1]

References

Bibliography

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs ^{[self-published source?][better source needed]}

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Robert Carr

v t e Home Secretaries of the United Kingdom of Great Britain Shelburne Sydney North Temple Sydney Grenville Dundas Portland of the United Kingdom Pelham Yorke Hawkesbury Spencer Liverpool Ryder Sidmouth Peel Bourne Lansdowne Peel Melbourne Duncannon Wellington Goulburn Russell Normanby Graham Grey Walpole Palmerston Grey Walpole Sotheron-Estcourt Cornewall Lewis Grey Walpole Hardy Bruce Lowe Cross Harcourt Cross Childers Matthews Asquith Ridley Ritchie Akers-Douglas Gladstone Churchill McKenna Simon Samuel Cave Shortt Bridgeman Henderson Joynson-Hicks Clynes Samuel Gilmour Simon Hoare Anderson Morrison Somervell Ede Fyfe Lloyd George Butler Brooke Soskice Jenkins Callaghan Maudling Carr Jenkins Rees Whitelaw Brittan Hurd Waddington Baker K. Clarke Howard Straw Blunkett C. Clarke Reid Smith Johnson May

v t e Leaders of the House of Commons Walpole Sandys Pelham Robinson H Fox Pitt the Elder Vacant (Caretaker Ministry) Pitt the Elder Grenville H Fox Grenville Conway North C Fox Townshend (C Fox/North) Pitt the Younger Addington Pitt the Younger C Fox Howick Perceval Castlereagh Canning Huskisson Peel Althorp Peel Russell Disraeli Russell Palmerston Disraeli Palmerston Gladstone Disraeli Gladstone Northcote Gladstone Hicks-Beach Gladstone R Churchill Smith Balfour Gladstone Harcourt Balfour Campbell-Bannerman Asquith Bonar Law A Chamberlain Bonar Law Baldwin MacDonald Baldwin MacDonald Baldwin MacDonald Baldwin N Chamberlain W Churchill Cripps Eden Morrison Chuter Ede Crookshank Butler Macleod Lloyd Bowden Crossman Peart Whitelaw Carr Prior Short Foot St John-Stevas Pym Biffen Wakeham Howe MacGregor Newton Taylor Beckett Cook Reid Hain Hoon Straw Harman Young

v t e Heath Cabinet Anthony Barber • Tom Boardman • Gordon Campbell • Robert Carr • Lord Carrington • John Davies • Sir Alec Douglas-Home • Ian Gilmour • Edward Heath • Lord Hailsham • Sir Geoffrey Howe • Earl Jellicoe • Patrick Jenkin • Sir Keith Joseph • Iain Macleod • Maurice Macmillan • Reginald Maudling • Michael Noble • John Peyton • James Prior • Francis Pym • Geoffrey Rippon • Margaret Thatcher • Peter Thomas • Peter Walker • Lord Windlesham • William Whitelaw