Alexander Daniel Alan Macmillan, 2nd Earl of Stockton (born 10 October 1943), styled as Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden between 1984 and 1986, is a British
Conservative Party politician and
hereditary peer
The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...
.
Early life and education
Stockton was born in 1943 in
Oswestry
Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
,
Shropshire
Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
, the eldest son of
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
politician
Maurice Macmillan, Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden, and his wife
the Hon.
''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of cert ...
Katharine Ormsby-Gore, daughter of
William Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech
William George Arthur Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech (11 April 1885 – 14 February 1964), was a British Conservative politician and banker.
Background
Harlech, the son of George Ormsby-Gore, 3rd Baron Harlech, and Lady Margaret Gordon, daught ...
. His paternal grandfather was prime minister
Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton.
Stockton was educated at
Eton College
Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...
, the
University of Paris
The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...
and at
Strathclyde University.
Career
Stockton's grandfather,
Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, who had served as
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
from 1957 to 1963, unexpectedly accepted a peerage in February 1984, at the age of ninety. His son
Maurice Macmillan died three weeks later, making Stockton the heir to the new earldom, and he succeeded as a member of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
on his grandfather's death at the end of 1986. However, he is not recorded as having spoken in any debates there, and was one of the hereditary peers who lost their seats as a result of 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 ...
. He went on to be elected as a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
member of the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
for
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it is one of four regions that altogether make up Southern England. South West England con ...
from
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
to
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
.
Stockton has been an unsuccessful candidate sixteen times in the
by-elections held among hereditary peers for a seat in the House of Lords, as of 2019. Most notably, in 2007 he came third in a contest to replace
Lord Mowbray, behind the winner,
Lord Cathcart, and
Lord Younger of Leckie; in the 2010 by-election to replace
Lord Northesk, he came second behind
Lord Younger of Leckie; in 2011 he lost to
Lord Hanworth in a ballot for the seat of the deceased
Lord Strabolgi; and in 2014 he lost out to the
Earl of Oxford and Asquith.
At the
May 2011 local council elections, Stockton was elected as a Conservative councillor of
South Bucks district council and represented the Denham South ward for four years, but did not stand at the
2015 local elections.
Both his father
Maurice Macmillan (1921–1984) and his grandfather preceded him as chairmen of
Macmillan Publishers Ltd., the publishing house long owned by the family. Stockton sold it to the German
Holtzbrinck group. He ranked 253rd in the ''
Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
2004
Rich List'', with an estimated wealth of £165m.
Stockton renovated
Hayne Manor with his second wife in
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
and listed it for sale.
On 29 April 2002, Stockton appeared alongside several other relatives of deceased former prime ministers, as well as then-prime minister
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
and the four surviving former prime ministers at the time (
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 ...
,
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the L ...
,
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
and
John Major
Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...
), for a dinner at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
which formed part of the celebrations for the
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration held in 2002 marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50 years as ...
.
Stockton is vice president of the
Royal Crescent Society, Bath.
Personal life
Stockton married Hélène Birgitte Hamilton in 1970; they divorced 1991. There were three children from this marriage:
*
Daniel Maurice Alan Macmillan, Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden (b. 9 October 1974)
* Lady Rebecca Elizabeth Macmillan (b. 1980)
* Lady Louisa Alexandra Macmillan (b. 1982)
On 23 December 1995, Stockton married
Miranda Quarry (1947–2020), who had been the third wife of actor
Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
. Stockton and Quarry were divorced 2011. This union produced no children.
Stockton lives in
Denham, Buckinghamshire
Denham is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, approximately 17 mi from central London, 2 mi northwest of Uxbridge and just north of junction 1 of the M40 motorway. The name is derived from the Old En ...
. In August 2022, Stockton was banned from driving for 13 months after pleading guilty to a drink driving charge. After driving home from an event on 31 July, where he had drunk some wine, he swerved his
Range Rover
The Land Rover Range Rover, generally shortened to Range Rover, is a Sport utility vehicle, 4x4 Luxury car, luxury SUV produced by Land Rover, a marque and sub-brand of Jaguar Land Rover, owned by Tata Motors. The Range Rover line was launched ...
into parked cars, causing minor damage to the vehicles. He was fined £7,616, and told to pay costs of £2,085. The large fine was given due to his high income.
Arms
Notes
References
Sources
''The Times Online'' report on the 2nd Earl of Stockton
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stockton, Alexander Macmillan, 2nd Earl of
1943 births
Living people
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of the University of Strathclyde
Conservative Party (UK) MEPs
Earls of Stockton
English people of American descent
English people of Scottish descent
MEPs for England 1999–2004
Alexander Macmillan, 2nd Earl of Stockton
Stockton