Richard Needham

For the Canadian columnist, see Richard J. Needham.

For other people of the same name, see Needham (disambiguation).

Richard Francis Needham, 6th Earl of Kilmorey, PC (born 29 January 1942), usually known as Sir Richard Needham, is a British Conservative politician. A Member of Parliament from 1979 to 1997, he served as Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland between 1985 and 1992 and as Minister of State for Trade between 1992 and 1995.

Background and education

Needham is the son of Francis Needham, 5th Earl of Kilmorey, and Helen Bridget Fandel-Phillips, daughter of Sir Lionel Fandel-Phillips, 3rd Baronet. He was educated at Eton.

Political career

Needham was a member of the Somerset County Council between 1967 and 1974. The latter year he stood unsuccessfully for parliament for the safe Labour seat of Pontefract and Castleford in the February general election, and then was also defeated at the more marginal Gravesend in October.

He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1977 but does not use the title. This is an Irish peerage and did not bar him from sitting in the House of Commons. At the 1979 general election, he was returned as Member of Parliament for Chippenham in Wiltshire. He was one of the "Wiltshire Wets", Conservative MPs from the county who expressed concern at the perceived loss of jobs resulting from the "monetarist" policies of Margaret Thatcher. His constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election, when he was returned to the House of Commons for the new North Wiltshire constituency. He held the seat until he retired from Parliament at the 1997 general election.

In Government

Needham was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Prior, between 1983 and 1984, and to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Patrick Jenkin, between 1984 and 1985. He served under Thatcher and later John Major as a Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland between 1985 and 1992 and under Major as Minister of State for Trade between 1992 and 1995, and was instrumental in transforming Northern Ireland's economic base and the UK's export strategy under Michael Heseltine. He was the longest serving British government Northern Ireland minister. In 1994 he was sworn of the Privy Council. In his book Battling for Peace (1999), he recalls attending a service at Westminster Abbey in 1991:

The former chairman of the county council and high sheriff for the year, Nigel Anderson, was a redoubtable old soldier who had a profound dislike of Mrs Thatcher and kept muttering "Well done, keep it up" in a loud whisper at every opportunity when there was a lull in the service.

Life after politics

File:Kamel Alzarka meets with Sir Richard Needham at Annual Trade and Corporate Finance Forum.jpg

Kamel Alzarka and the Falcon Group welcomed Sir Richard Needham to the 3rd Annual Trade and Corporate Finance Forum in Dubai

Needham is now a director of Lonrho & Avon Rubber. He was a Director of Dyson for over 16 years. He has written two books: Honourable Member and Battling for Peace: Northern Ireland's Longest-Serving British Minister (1999); an account of his years in Northern Ireland and his contribution to peace.

In 2015 he became a director of M2M solution provider Adaptive Modules Ltd.

Personal life

Needham married Sigrid Thiessen-Gairtner, daughter of Ernest Thiessen, in 1965. They have three children:

• Robert Francis John Needham, Viscount Newry and Mourne (b. 1966)
• Hon. Andrew Francis Needham (b. 1969)
• Lady Christina Clare Needham (b. 1977)

Although Needham inherited the Earldom of Kilmorey and Viscountcy of Newry and Mourne on the death of his father in 1977, he did not petition the House of Lords to formally claim succession until October 2012. The Needham estate, known as Mourne Park, is near Kilkeel in County Down in Northern Ireland but the title and estate were separated when the fifth Earl inherited the title but opted to live in England. The Needham estate or Mourne Park is now owned by the Anley family, descendants of the 4th Earl of Kilmorey. The house was badly damaged by fire on Saturday 18 May 2013.

Ancestry

Family of Richard Needham

16. Francis Needham, Viscount Newry               8. Francis Needham, 3rd Earl of Kilmorey                       17. Anne Colville               4. The Hon. Francis Needham                             18. Edward Holmes Baldock               9. Ellen Baldock                       19. Elizabeth Mary Corbet               2. Francis Needham, 5th Earl of Kilmorey                                   20. Richard Combe               10. Richard Combe                       21. Esther Hollway               5. Blanche Combe                             22. George Conyngham, 3rd Marquess Conyngham               11. Lady Constance Conyngham                       23. Lady Jane Stanhope               1. Richard Needham, 6th Earl of Kilmorey                                         24. Benjamin Phillips               12. Sir George Faudel-Phillips, 1st Baronet                       25. Rachel Faudel               6. Sir Lionel Faudel-Phillips, 3rd Baronet                             26. Joseph Levy               13. Helen Levy                       27. Esther Cohen               3. Helen Faudel-Phillips                                   28. Charles Gordon, 10th Marquess of Huntly               14. Lord Granville Gordon                       29. Maria Pegus               7. Armyne Gordon                             30. Henry Roe               15. Charlotte Roe                       31. Charlotte d'Olier

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir Richard Needham
• Quote Me On It
• geni.com

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Daniel Awdry	Member of Parliament for Chippenham 1979 – 1983	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for North Wiltshire 1983 – 1997	Succeeded by James Gray
Political offices
Preceded by Nicholas Scott Chris Patten The Lord Lyell	Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with Nicholas Scott 1985–1986 The Lord Lyell 1985–1989 Peter Viggers 1986–1989 Brian Mawhinney 1986–1990 Peter Bottomley 1989–1990 The Lord Skelmersdale 1990 Jeremy Hanley 1990–1992 1985–1992	Succeeded by Jeremy Hanley The Earl of Arran
Preceded by Tim Sainsbury	Minister of State for Trade 1992–1995	Succeeded by Anthony Nelson
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Francis Needham	Earl of Kilmorey 1977–present	Incumbent