Michael William George Lucas, 2nd Baron Lucas of Chilworth (26 April 1926 – 10 November 2001), was a British peer and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician.

Background and education

Lucas was the eldest son of

George William Lucas, 1st Baron Lucas of Chilworth George William Lucas, 1st Baron Lucas of Chilworth (29 March 1896 – 11 October 1967), was a British businessman and Labour politician. Lucas was the son of Percy William Lucas and Annette Lucy Lucas of Oxford. He was involved in the motor trade ...

, a prominent figure in the motor trade industry and

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

politician, and his wife, the former Sonia Finkelstein, a scion of a family prominent in the Latvian fishing industry. He was educated at

Peter Symonds College Peter Symonds College is a sixth form college in Winchester, Hampshire, in the south of England. Founded as a boys' grammar school, it is one of the few specialist sixth form colleges which is also a boarding school. It serves Falkland Island ...

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, and at Luton Technical College (now the

University of Bedfordshire The University of Bedfordshire is a public research university with campuses in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England. The University has roots from 1882, however, it gained university status in 1993 as the University of Luton. The Universi ...

) where he studied motor engineering. He served with the

Royal Tank Regiment The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is the armoured regiment of the British Army's 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Formerly known as th ...

after the

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and later joined the family car dealership.

Political career

In 1967 Lucas succeeded his father as second Baron Lucas of Chilworth and took his seat on the Conservative benches in the

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. An active member of the House of Lords, he served on the Select Committee on Science and Technology from 1980 to 1983. The latter year he was appointed a

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

(government whip in the House of Lords) in the Conservative government of

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

, and then served as Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry between 1984 and 1987. He stepped down from the government after the 1987 general election, but continued to be active in the House of Lords. However, he was forced to leave Parliament after the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

, when he narrowly failed to be elected as one of the ninety elected

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsid ...

s that were allowed to remain in the House of Lords. Apart from his political work, Lucas also served as President of the League of Safe Drivers from 1976 to 1980 and of the Institute of Traffic Management (later the

Institute of Transport Administration The Institute of Transport Administration (IoTA) is an international professional association for individuals who work in transport management (traffic management), including road, rail, sea and air. Founded in 1944, it was previously known as ...

) from 1980 to 1983.

Family

Lord Lucas of Chilworth married, firstly, Ann Marie, daughter of Ronald William Buck, in 1955. They had two sons and one daughter but were divorced in 1989. She died in 2018. He married, secondly, Jill MacKean, in 1998. Lord Lucas of Chilworth died in November 2001, aged 75, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son Simon.

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. *
Daily Telegraph obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas of Chilworth, Michael William George Lucas, 2nd Baron 1926 births 2001 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom People educated at Peter Symonds College Alumni of the University of Bedfordshire Royal Tank Regiment officers Conservative Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting Lucas of Chilworth