Howe, Geoffrey (Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe, Baron Howe of Aberavon), 1926–2015, British political leader, b. Port Talbot, Wales. After service in the British army, he studied law at Cambridge (grad. 1952), then practised in Wales. A Conservative, Howe served in parliament (1964–66, 1970–92), representing constituencies near Liverpool and London. Under Prime Minister Heath, he was solicitor general for England and Wales (1970–72) and minister for trade and consumer affairs (1972–74). He later was chancellor of the exchequer (1979–83), foreign minister (1983–89), and deputy prime minister and leader of the House of Commons (1989–90) under Thatcher. A strong supporter of many of Thatcher's free-market policies, Howe disagreed with her opposition to economic integration with Europe. His dramatic resignation in the Commons from the government in 1990 helped precipitate Thatcher's resignation shortly thereafter. Howe was knighted in 1970 and made a life peer in 1992.
See his memoir, Conflict of Loyalty (1994).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: British and Irish History: Biographies
