James David Gibson-Watt, Baron Gibson-Watt (11 September 1918 – 7 February 2002) was a British

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician. Educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, Gibson-Watt served in the

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V ...

from 1939 to 1946, seeing action in the North African campaign and the Italian campaign. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

in 1943, later gaining two bars. A farmer and forester, he served as a Radnor

County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

lor and chairman of the Livestock Export Council. He was an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate for the Brecon and Radnor constituency in 1950 and 1951, before being elected as Member of Parliament for

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

in February 1956. He held this seat until September 1974, when he stood down. He held office as a

Lord Commissioner of the Treasury In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the ...

from 1959 to 1961, as an opposition spokesman on communications and broadcasting from 1965 and as

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

at the

Welsh Office The Welsh Office ( cy, Swyddfa Gymreig) was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State f ...

from 1970 to 1974. He was appointed a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...

in 1974. Gibson-Watt later held public office as a

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respon ...

er from 1976 to 1986, as Chairman of the Council on Tribunals, 1980–86, and as a Member of the

Historic Buildings Council Three separate historic buildings councils were created by the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953, one for each of England, Scotland, and Wales. Each Historic Buildings Council advised the relevant government minister on the exercise ...

, Wales, 1975–79. He was also Chairman of Timber Growers United Kingdom, 1987–90 (Honorary President, 1993–98), a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society, and President of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, 1976 (Chairman of the Council, 1976–94). In 1979 he was created 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 ...

as Baron Gibson-Watt, of the Wye in the District of Radnor. Gibson-Watt married Diana Hambro (b. 1922), daughter of Sir Charles Hambro, in 1942, and their second son David Julian Gibson-Watt married

Patricia Hewitt Patricia Hope Hewitt (born 2 December 1948) is an Australian-born British government adviser and former politician who served as Secretary of State for Health from 2005 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, she previously served as Secretar ...

, a member of the Labour Party, who after their subsequent divorce was elected as an MP.

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* 1918 births 2002 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Conservative Party (UK) life peers Councillors in Wales Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Ministers in the Macmillan and Douglas-Home governments, 1957–1964 People educated at Eton College Politics of Herefordshire Recipients of the Military Cross UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1966–1970 UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs 1974 Welsh Guards officers British Army personnel of World War II Life peers created by Elizabeth II {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1910s-stub