Geoffrey Lofthouse, Baron Lofthouse of Pontefract, JP (18 December 1925 – 1 November 2012), popularly known in his former constituency as Geoff Lofthouse, was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Labour politician, MP and life peer.

Early life

He was born in

Featherstone Featherstone is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, two miles south-west of Pontefract. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 2011 it had a population of 15,244. Featherstone railway stat ...

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, the son of Ernest Lofthouse, a farm labourer in

Micklefield Micklefield is a village and civil parish east of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It neighbours Garforth, Aberford and Brotherton and is close to the A1 Motorway. It is in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. The population as of the 2 ...

, and Emma (née Fellows). His father died at the age of 35. At the age of 14, Geoff Lofthouse went to work at Ackton Hall Colliery in

. At age 29, he was the president of the local branch of the NUM. He went to the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, gaining a BA in Political Studies in 1957, when he was 32 years old. In 1962, he became a councillor on Pontefract Borough Council. He was mayor of

Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wak ...

in 1967, and leader of the council from 1969 to 1973.

Parliamentary career

He was MP for Pontefract and Castleford from a 1978 by-election until his retirement at the 1997 general election. In the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

, he served from 1992 until his retirement as a Deputy Speaker of the House to

Betty Boothroyd Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd (born 8 October 1929) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000. From 1992 to 2000, she served as Speaker of the House of ...

. In the Queen's Birthday Honours 1995 Lofthouse was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

. In the Queen's Birthday Honours 1997 Lofthouse was made a life peer as Baron Lofthouse of Pontefract, of

, in the county of

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

Publications

His autobiography, ''A Very Miner MP'', is available from Yorkshire Art Circus Publishers. He also wrote a further autobiography, ''From Coal Sack to Woolsack''.

Personal life

He married when he was 20 years old; he and his wife Sarah had a daughter.

Death

Lord Lofthouse died on 1 November 2012, aged 86.

Arms

References

External links

* ''Times Guide to the House of Commons'', Times Newspapers Limited, 1992 and 1997 editions. * * *
Wakefield Education Yearbook 2004
1925 births 2012 deaths Alumni of the University of Leeds Councillors in Wakefield Deputy Speakers of the British House of Commons English justices of the peace Knights Bachelor Lofthouse of Pontefract Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Mayors of places in Yorkshire and the Humber People from Featherstone Politicians from Pontefract Place of death missing UK MPs 1974–1979 UK MPs 1979–1983 UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 Life peers created by Elizabeth II {{Life-peer-stub