Gary Peter Anthony Waller (24 June 1945 – 21 July 2017) was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician.

Schooling

Waller was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

, where he excelled at cross country running, and graduated from Lancaster University in 1967.

Political career

Election

Waller was the Conservative candidate for the Labour safe seat of Rother Valley in the

February February is the second month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years and 29 in leap years, with the February 29, 29th day being called the ''leap day''. February is the third a ...

and October 1974 elections, but Peter Hardy retained the seat on both occasions. Waller was originally elected as the MP for Brighouse and Spenborough, taking the seat from Labour, at the 1979 general election, until

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

, when boundary changes meant the constituency was abolished. Instead, he was elected for nearby

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford, n ...

, defeating the Labour incumbent Bob Cryer. During his time in Parliament, Waller served as Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee. From 1992 to 1997, he served as Chairman of the House of Commons Information Committee, which oversaw the work of the

House of Commons Library The House of Commons Library is the library and information resource of the lower house of the British Parliament. It was established in 1818, although its original 1828 construction was destroyed during the burning of Parliament in 1834. Th ...

and parliamentary IT. At the 1997 general election, he lost his Keighley seat to Labour's Ann Cryer, widow of Bob Cryer.

1994 revelation

In January 1994, ''

The People The People may refer to: Legal jargon * The People, term used to refer to the people in general, in legal documents * "We the People of the United States", from the Preamble to the U. S. Constitution * In philosophy, economics, and political scienc ...

'' newspaper published claims Waller was the father of an illegitimate son. The newspaper claimed he was the biological father of the son of Fay Stockwell, who was Sir Marcus Fox's secretary. Waller later admitted the claims were true.

Local Government

Waller was elected a District Councillor on 5 May 2011 to represent the Lower Sheering Ward on Epping Forest District Council. He was the cabinet member for the Safer, Greener and Transport portfolio and a member of many committees and panels, including the Essex Police and Crime Panel. He was President of

Harlow Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a Planned community, new town in 1947, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire, and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the ...

Conservative Association, and lived near his ward. He also served on Hatfield Broad Oak parish council.

References

Sources

* "Times Guide to the House of Commons", Times Newspapers Limited, 1983 and 1997 editions.

External links

TORIES IN TURMOIL / The Press: Waller attacks 'harassment' after
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waller, Gary 1945 births 2017 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1979–1983 UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Lancaster University Politicians from Bradford Councillors in Essex