Roger Nicholas Edwards, Baron Crickhowell, PC (25 February 1934 – 17 March 2018) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as an MP from 1970 until 1987 and as Secretary of State for Wales during the first two terms of the Thatcher government.

Early life

Edwards was educated at Westminster School and, after completing National Service in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating in history in 1957. He was a director of William Brandt's insurance brokers and became a member of Lloyd's in 1965.

Political career

Edwards left insurance to take Desmond Donnelly's old seat of Pembroke and served as Secretary of State for Wales in Margaret Thatcher's first and second administrations. He was adopted by the Pembrokeshire Conservative Party as parliamentary candidate for Pembroke in 1968. At the 1970 general election, he was elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

, which he represented until his retirement at the 1987 general election. From 1975 to 1979, he was Opposition Spokesman for Welsh Affairs (in other words, the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales). When Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979, Edwards was appointed Secretary of State for Wales. He served in that position until 1987, when he was given a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

age, being created on 15 October 1987 as Baron Crickhowell, of Pont Esgob in the Black Mountains and County of Powys.

Later career

Lord Crickhowell was the sole chairman of the National Rivers Authority (NRA) from its inception in 1989 until its merger into the newly created

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...

in 1996. Although his was a direct political appointment from the Conservative government, Lord Crickhowell showed commitment to the principles of the NRA and the legislation that it enforced. He spoke in favour of the natural environment and supporting strong enforcement action against major corporate polluters. During the 1990s, Lord Crickhowell became a leading figure in the campaign for a permanent home for the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff. When the plans were rejected by the Government in 1995, he launched a public attack on his former Conservative colleagues. Lord Crickhowell sat in the House of Lords as a life peer for over 30 years from 1987 until his death in 2018, making his last appearance in September 2017. He had been associated with many British institutions, including the

University of Wales, Cardiff , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

(now Cardiff University), where he was awarded an honorary fellowship in 1984 and served as president from 1988 to 1998. He received an honorary LL.D. from the University of Glamorgan in 2001.

Death

He died on 17 March 2018 at the age of 84. A memorial service was held at St Margaret's Church Westminster on 23 October 2018.

Works

* 1980 * September 1997 * October 1999 * 2006 * November 2009

References

External links

The Baron Crickhowell (Burke's Peerage)
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Nicholas 1934 births 2018 deaths People from Crickhowell Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British Secretaries of State Conservative Party (UK) life peers Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Pembrokeshire constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People associated with Cardiff University People educated at Westminster School, London Royal Welch Fusiliers officers Secretaries of State for Wales UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs 1974 UK MPs 1974–1979 UK MPs 1979–1983 UK MPs 1983–1987