Desmond Banks, Baron Banks

Desmond Anderson Harvie Banks, Baron Banks CBE (* 23. October 1918 in Ascot , Berkshire , † 15. June 1997 ) was a British politician of the Liberal Party , the twice-Executive Chairman ( Chairman was) and even president of the Liberal Party and in 1975 as Life Peer became a member of the House of Lords under the Life Peerages Act 1958 .

Life

Banks, who came from a Scottish family, graduated from University College School in Hampstead and then worked for the Harrods department store and the food company HJ Heinz Company before joining his father's business before the start of World War II , the one had developed a new, profitable washing machine . At the beginning of the Second World War he joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps as a rifleman , but was shortly thereafter transferred to the Royal Artillery , where he was trained as an anti-tank officer and finally promoted to major . Towards the end of the war he was a member of the Trieste military administration .

After the war, Banks worked as a freelance life insurance broker , initially for Canada Life , then for Tweddle French and finally for Lincoln Consultants . In addition to his professional activities, he was involved as an elder ( Elder ) in the Presbyterian Church of England and its successor United Reformed Church .

In the early 1950s, Banks, who had been a member of the Liberal Party since the mid-1930s, began his political career and ran for the Liberals in the general election of February 23, 1950 in the Harrow East constituency , in the May 26, 1955 election in the constituency St Ives and most recently in the general election of October 8, 1959 in the constituency of South West Hertfordshire, each unsuccessful for a mandate in the House of Commons .

In 1961 he succeeded Leonard Behrens as Chairman of the Liberal Party and held this position until he was replaced by Basil Wigoder in 1963 . After he was President of the Liberal Party between 1968 as the successor to Donald Wade and his replacement by Timothy Beaumont, Baron Beaumont of Whitley in 1969, he replaced Michael Eden, 7th Baron Henley , in 1969 and became Executive Chairman of the Liberals for the second time. On the one hand, he had to deal with inner-party subversive elements such as the so-called Red Guards within the party youth organization National League of Young Liberals ( Young Liberal Red Guard ) around Peter Hain and Hilary Wainwright , but also the lonely party president Baron Beaumont of Whitley. He held the post of Chairman of the Liberal Party until he was replaced by Richard Wainwright in 1970 .

Banks, who was named Commander des Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his political services on January 1, 1972 , served as the Liberal Party's policy promotion director from 1972 to 1974 and was then vice-president from 1973 to 1979. Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Liberal Party.

By a letters patent dated January 7, 1975, Banks was raised to the nobility as a life peer with the title Baron Banks , of Kenton in Greater London and was a member of the House of Lords at his death. Subsequently, during his membership in the House of Lords between 1975 and 1989, he was spokesman for the Liberal Group in the House of Lords for Social Security. At the same time he also acted as a parliamentary group spokesman for social services between 1977 and 1983 and at the same time, as Deputy Liberal Whip, was also deputy parliamentary manager of his party in the upper house.

After the death of Frank Byers, Baron Byers on February 6, 1984, he applied as his successor for the office of leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Lords ( Leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Lords ), but was defeated by the opposing candidate Beatrice Seear, Baroness Seear .

Web links

• Desmond Banks in Hansard (English)
• Entry in Leigh Rayment Peerage
• Desmond Anderson Harvie Banks, Baron Banks on thepeerage.com , accessed September 11, 2016.
• Obituary: Lord Banks . In: The Independent of June 30, 1997

Individual evidence

1. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 45554, HMSO, London, December 31, 1971, p. 8 ( PDF , accessed October 31, 2013, English).
2. ↑ London Gazette . No. 46459, HMSO, London, January 9, 1975, p. 309 ( PDF , accessed October 31, 2013, English).