John Vavasseur Fisher, 3rd Baron Fisher

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John Vavasseur Fisher

John Vavasseur Fisher, 3rd Baron Fisher (born July 24, 1921 - October 31, 2012 in Eastbourne , East Sussex , England ) was a British peer and politician .

Life

Family and military service

He was born the son of Cecil Vavasseur Fisher, 2nd Baron Fisher (1868–1955) and his wife Jane Morgan († 1955), an American heiress. His grandfather was John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher , Admiral of the Royal Navy during the First World War , who was the First Sea Lord (1905-1910 and 1914-1915) to shape the Royal Navy. On May 11, 1955, he inherited the title of Baron Fisher after the death of his father (who, as heir to the arms manufacturer Josiah Vavasseur, had the double name "Vavasseur Fisher" since 1909) .

He attended Stowe School, a private school, in Stowe , Buckinghamshire . During the Second World War he was in action; However, despite his grandfather, he did not pursue the classic career of an officer. In August 1941, he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve . He first worked as a volunteer with the Coast Guard , then became a navigator and finally first lieutenant . He was in action on the motor torpedo boat MTB 687, part of the 58th "Dog Boat" fleet under the command of Ken Gemmell. On 8./9. In June 1944 he carried out a surprise attack on German patrol boats as a navigator; two enemy ships were sunk. He led another successful attack on 14/15. June 1944. In 1944 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for his military service . With the rank of First Lieutenant, he retired from the Royal Navy at the end of World War II .

Activity as an entrepreneur

After the Second World War he attended Trinity College at the University of Cambridge , where he graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA). He then devoted himself mainly to the management of the family property in Kilverstone in the county of Norfolk in the following years . His main focus was on growing vegetables, especially carrots , on the fertile soils of the Brecklands . In the 1960s, he developed a new business idea in the field of livestock. He sold lamb halves ( hoggets ) in direct sales from door to door.

In April 1973 he opened Kilverstone Wildlife Park, a nature and wildlife park that housed the only Latin American zoo in the world. The zoo with over 700 animals and more than 20 permanent employees was a public attraction; At its peak, there were over 160,000 visitors a year. Over 100 animals and birds were bred and born each year. As a special attraction, he brought Chinese deer and muntjacs to Kilverstone. Kilverstone Wildlife Park has also received international recognition for its endeavors to raise endangered species, including tamarins , spider monkeys and marmosets . In addition, the zoo became known for breeding mini ponies, the falabellas . After years of losses, the zoo had to close the zoo with a heavy heart in 1991 for financial reasons.

Public offices

He also held various offices within the UK local government , such as the Borough Council and mayor. In 1957 he became a member of the Thetford Borough Council for the first time. In May 1962 he was elected mayor ( Mayor ) of Thetford elected; he was re-elected the following year. He was the first peer to hold the office of mayor. From 1968 to 1972 (according to other sources: 1982) he was Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of Norfolk. He also served as Justice of the Peace (JP) in Norfolk in 1970 .

He was also a member of the former Wayland Rural District Council and held various offices in the South Norfolk Conservative Association of the Conservative Party . Among other things, he was Chairman ( President ) and former Treasurer ( Treasurer ) for South Norfolk. He represented Great Britain and the city of Thetford in several international bodies, such as the Eastern Gas Board (1962–1971). He campaigned for the city of Thetford to have access to a cheaper source of energy, later North Sea Gas.

Membership in the House of Lords

With the death of his father in 1955 John Vavasseur Fisher became a member of the House of Lords . He was a member of the Conservative Party . He gave his inaugural address on April 11, 1960. The Hansard documents speeches by Lord Fisher from 1960 to 1993. In the House of Lords he spoke about the Zoo Licensing Bill in 1981. In July 1993, he last spoke in the House of Lords. His membership in the House of Lords ended in 1999 with the House of Lords Act 1999 .

Private

Lord Fisher was married twice. He married Elizabeth Ann Penelope Holt, daughter of Major Herbert Paton Holt and Aileen Elizabeth Cains, on July 25, 1949. The marriage had four children, two sons and two daughters. The marriage ended in divorce in 1969. In 1970 he married Rosamund Ann Clifford, daughter of Lewis Clifford, 12th Baron Clifford , for a second marriage .

In 2003 he lived in Marklye, Rushlake Green, Heathfield in East Sussex . He spent the last few years in seclusion in East Sussex. He died in Eastbourne hospital at the age of 91 after a brief illness.

Title heir as 4th Baron Fisher was his eldest son, Patrick Vavasseur Fisher (* 1953).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Lord Fisher obituary in: The Daily Telegraph, November 22, 2012
  2. ↑ a b c d e John Vavasseur Fisher, 3rd Baron Fisher on thepeerage.com , accessed September 18, 2016.
  3. ^ The Lord Fisher: Norfolk zoo owner, councillor and decorated naval officer - Obituary in: Eastern Daily Press, November 5, 2012
  4. ↑ AGRICULTURE: THE 1960 PRICE REVIEW text of the speech of 11 April 1960
predecessor Office successor
Cecil Vavasseur Fisher Baron Fisher
1955-2012 		Patrick Vavasseur Fisher
personal data
SURNAME Fisher, John Vavasseur, 3rd Baron Fisher
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British peer and politician
DATE OF BIRTH July 24, 1921
DATE OF DEATH October 31, 2012
Place of death Eastbourne , East Sussex