Sir Colin Ryley Shepherd (13 January 1938 – 17 January 2024) was a British Conservative Party politician. He was MP for

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

from October 1974 until his defeat by Liberal Democrat Paul Keetch in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

. He took a special interest in rural issues and the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

Background

Shepherd was born in Hale, Cheshire in 1938. He was head boy at the prestigious

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire ...

and after performing his national service with the Royal Navy, he attended

Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges an ...

and

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

in Montreal, where he served in the Royal Canadian Navy.

Career

Shepherd worked for his family's company in

Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, near the border with Wales. It had a population estimated at 10,978 in 2021. It lies in the south-east of the county, on the River Wye and on the northern edge of the Fore ...

, where he continued to work for at least one day a week through his political career in unison with his two younger brothers In 1974, Shepherd was elected to parliament in

. He was described by ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' as a "generally loyal" Conservative, who took a strong interest in rural issues. He was vice chairman of the agricultural committee on two occasions. After his defeat in 1997, he continued to work in business until 2010. He also helped consult government within in Africa and helped to elect his successor MP but one,

Jesse Norman Alexander Jesse Norman (born 23 June 1962) is a British politician who has served as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons since November 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hereford and So ...

Personal life

Shepherd was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in the 1996 New Year Honours and lived at Ganarew Manor, Herefordshire. He married Lady Louise Cleveland in 1966, and they had three boys. He died at home on 17 January 2024, four days after his 86th birthday which he spent celebrating with his close family at his home in Ganarew.

Notes

References

* ''Times Guide to the House of Commons'', Times Newspapers Limited, 1997 edition

External links

* 1938 births 2024 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople 21st-century English businesspeople Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies English expatriates in Canada Knights Bachelor McGill University alumni People educated at Oundle School Politics of Herefordshire Royal Canadian Navy personnel Royal Navy sailors UK MPs 1974–1979 UK MPs 1979–1983 UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1930s-stub