Sir Timothy Peter Geoffrey Kitson (28 January 1931 – 18 May 2019) 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 who was Member of Parliament for

Richmond, North Yorkshire Richmond is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is located at the point where Swaledale, the upper valley of the River Swale, opens into the Vale of Mowbray. The town's population at the 2011 ...

. He was first elected at the 1959 general election, and stood down at the 1983 general election.

Background

Kitson was born in Leeds, the son of Geoffrey H. and Kathleen Kitson.''Who's Who 1974'', London : A. & C. Black, 1974, pg.1839. His family ran a locomotive manufacturer

Kitson and Company Kitson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Early history The company was started in 1835 by James Kitson (businessman), James Kitson at the Airedale Foundry, off Pearson Street, Hunslet, ...

which went into receivership during his childhood. He was educated at Charterhouse and the

Royal Agricultural College The Royal Agricultural University (RAU), formerly the Royal Agricultural College, is a public university in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world. ...

Cirencester Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...

. He farmed in Australia from 1949 to 1951. Kitson married Diana Mary "Sally" Fattorini in 1959; the couple had two daughters and one son.

Political career

From 1954 to 1957, Kitson served as a councillor on Thirsk Rural District Council, and from 1957 to 1961 on

North Riding County Council North Riding County Council (NRCC) was the county council of the administrative county of the North Riding of Yorkshire. It came into its powers on 1 April 1889 and was abolished on 31 March 1974. The council met at County Hall in Northallerton ...

. In 1959, he was elected to Parliament for Richmond, North Yorkshire, after Thomas Dugdale was elevated to a peerage. He acted as joint honorary secretary of the Conservative parliamentary committee on agriculture, fisheries and food from 1965 to 1966 and a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the then

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Edward Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 ...

from 1970 to 1974. He showed no interest in promotion to higher office, and kept a relatively low profile. In 1964 and 1965, Kitson supported the Labour MP

Sydney Silverman Samuel Sydney Silverman (8 October 1895 – 9 February 1968) was a British Labour politician and vocal opponent of capital punishment. Early life Silverman was born in poverty to migrant Jewish parents from Jassy, Romania. His father was a ...

's successful 'Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Bill'. He opposed abolition in the form finalised in 1969, however. Kitson received a

knighthood 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 Heath's resignation honours list in 1974. Kitson was part of Heath's campaign team in the

1975 Conservative Party leadership election The 1975 Conservative Party leadership election was held in February 1975. The party's sitting MPs voted Margaret Thatcher as party leader on the second ballot. Incumbent leader Edward Heath stood aside after the first ballot, in which he unexp ...

, though when Heath failed to surpass

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

in the first round, it fell upon Kitson to inform him of his loss. Uncomfortable with the direction the party took under Thatcher, Kitson stood down from parliament at the 1983 general election. He was a staunch defender of Heath's legacy for the rest of his life.

Later life

After leaving parliament, Kitson was chairman of the Provident Financial Group from 1983 to 1995, and of the

Halifax Building Society Halifax (previously known as Halifax Building Society and colloquially known as The Halifax) is a British banking brand operating as a trading division of Bank of Scotland, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group. It is named ...

from 1995 to 1998. Kitson lived in

Middleham Middleham ( ; meaning "middle ''ham''", i.e. "middle village") is a market town and civil parish in the district and county of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, on the south side of the valley, upstream fr ...

, North Yorkshire, in retirement, where he died on 18 May 2019, aged 88.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kitson, Timothy 1931 births 2019 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople 20th-century British farmers Alumni of the Royal Agricultural University Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies English expatriates in Australia Knights Bachelor Members of North Riding County Council Parliamentary private secretaries to the prime minister People educated at Charterhouse School People from Middleham UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1966–1970 UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs 1974 UK MPs 1974–1979 UK MPs 1979–1983