Gareth Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn

Gareth Wyn Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn, PC, QC, (February 5, 1941 - September 20, 2003) was a British Labour Party politician who was Leader of the House of Lords, Lord President of the Council and a member of the Cabinet at the time of his sudden death in 2003.

Williams was born near Prestatyn, in north Wales, a son of Albert Thomas Williams and his wife Selina, "née" Evans. He was educated at Rhyl Grammar School and at Queens' College, Cambridge.

He had a successful legal career, becoming a Queen's Counsel, Recorder, Deputy High Court Judge and Chairman of the Bar council. He was made a life peer as Baron Williams of Mostyn, of Great Tew in the County of Oxfordshire in 1992 and became an opposition spokesman in the House of Lords on Legal Affairs, and later Northern Ireland. After Labour's election victory he became a Home Office minister, and in 1999 was appointed Attorney General. He became Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal in 2001 (switching over to Lord President of the Council in 2003).

It is a significant feature of his political career that every office held has been an unelected appointment; he has never actually been elected to any public office.

Lord Williams married firstly in 1962 Pauline, daughter of Ernest Clarke, and by her had two daughters, Martha (born 1963) and Emma (born 1966), and a son, Daniel (born 1969).They divorced, and he married secondly in 1994 Veena M. Russell, and by her had one daughter, Imogen.

He collapsed and died suddenly at his home in Gloucestershire, at the age of 62. He was survived by his four children.

As part of the celebrations to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Life Peerages Act, Lord Williams was voted by the current members of the House of Lords as the outstanding life peer since the creation of the life peerage.cite web |url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/epolitix/20080715/tpl-former-lords-leader-honoured-with-aw-0a1c1a1.html |title=Former Lords leader honoured with award |work=Yahoo/Epolitix |accessdate=2008-07-20]

References

* "Burke's Peerage & Baronetage" (106th edition, 1999) edited by Charles Mosley

External links

* " [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/lords/story/0,9061,745794,00.html Interview: Lord Williams] " - "Guardian Unlimited Politics" interview with Lord Williams by Julian Glover, dated Friday, June 28, 2002, giving the peer's views on reform of the House of Lords
* " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3125858.stm Leader of House of Lords dies] " - BBC News article, dated Saturday, September 20, 2003
* " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3126004.stm Lords loses smooth operator] " - BBC News article, dated Saturday, September 20, 2003
* " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3126016.stm Tributes to a superb wit] " - BBC News article, dated Saturday, September 20, 2003