Christopher Jon Martin, (15 May 1973 – 25 November 2015) was a British

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

. He was

Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister The Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is a senior official in the United Kingdom Civil Service who acts as principal private secretary to the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The holder of this office is ...

from 2012 to 2015.

Early life

Martin was born on 15 May 1973 in West Bromwich,

Black Country The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands county, England covering most of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Dudley and Tipton are generally considered to be the centre. It became industrialised during its ro ...

, England. He was brought up in Hampshire, on the edge of the New Forest, and educated at

Noadswood School Noadswood School is an academy school and specialist Sports College in Dibden Purlieu, Hampshire, England. It provides state funded education for children from ages 11 to 16. Background Noadswood School serves Dibden Purlieu and Hythe on the ...

, Dibden Purlieu (his local

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

) and at Totton College, his local sixth form college. He studied physics at the University of Bristol before switching to a degree in politics, and graduated in 1996.

Career

After graduating from university, Martin took the

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

fast-stream entrance exam. He came top and chose to join HM Treasury for what would be the last months of Kenneth Clarke's tenure. Under Brown, Martin took a number of roles, including being seconded to the Security Service ("MI5"). He eventually served as Brown's Press Secretary, remaining in post serving Alistair Darling when he replaced him as the

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

. He held board level jobs at the Treasury and a

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...

agency. In January 2010, Martin moved to the

and was appointed deputy to the Cabinet Secretary (then Sir Gus O'Donnell). In December 2011, he was appointed the

and Director General of the Prime Minister's Office. In the

2014 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2014 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of ...

, Martin was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB) "for public service". In 2015, he was also appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO); he was presented with the insignia for his CVO during a special ceremony in hospital (

UCLH University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is an NHS foundation trust based in London, United Kingdom. It comprises University College Hospital, University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street, the UCH Macmillan Cancer C ...

) on 21 November 2015, four days before his death. Grave of Chris Martin in Highgate Cemetery

He was described by former Head of the Civil Service Jeremy Heywood as "quite simply, one of the finest civil servants of his generation".

Death

Martin died from sarcoma on 25 November 2015. Tributes were paid to him during Prime Minister's Questions, and the Officials' Box was left empty on the request of the Prime Minister. A memorial service was held at St Margaret's, Westminster on 18 October 2016. He is buried on the eastern side of Highgate Cemetery.

Personal life

In 2005, Martin married

Christina Scott Christina Martha Elena Scott (born 25 December 1974) is a British civil servant and diplomat. She served as Governor of Anguilla between 2013 and 2017, and was the first woman to hold the post. She has been Deputy Head of Mission at the Britis ...

. They separated in 2011 and later divorced. Shortly before his death he married

Zoe Conway Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for " life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Zoe'' (film) * ZOE Broadc ...

, a BBC journalist. Martin was a fan of

Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...

and held a

season ticket A season ticket, or season pass, is a ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time. History The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' has illustrative quotations which show the term ''season ticket'' used in the United States in 1820 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Chris 1973 births 2015 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Civil servants in HM Treasury Principal Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister Alumni of the University of Bristol