Emlyn Hooson, Baron Hooson
Encyclopedia
Hugh Emlyn Hooson, Baron Hooson QC
(born 26 March 1925) is a Liberal Democrat
politician in the United Kingdom
. He was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Montgomeryshire
from 1962 until 1979.
Hooson was educated at Denbigh
Grammar School
and the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
. He served in the Royal Navy
during World War II
. He became a barrister, called to the bar by Gray's Inn
in 1949, and in 1960 became the youngest ever Queen's Counsel
. He was chairman of the Flint
Quarter Sessions
from 1960 and Merioneth Quarter Sessions from 1962, and a member of the Bar Council
from 1965. As QC, Hooson represented Ian Brady, one of the "Moors Murderers
" along with Myra Hindley, when he was tried and convicted on 3 murder charges at Chester
Crown Court
in spring 1966.
He has also been a farmer.
Hooson became chairman of the Liberal Party
of Wales
in 1955 and was elected to the Liberal Party executive in 1965. He contested Conway at the 1950 general election
and again in 1951
. He became MP for Montgomeryshire at a 1962 by-election
following the death of Clement Davies
, as a member of the Liberal Party. He contested the Liberal Party leadership election of 1967
, but withdrew in favour of Jeremy Thorpe
.
In 1979, he lost his seat to the Conservatives and was then appointed a life peer
as Baron Hooson, of Montgomery in the County of Powys
and of Colomendy in the County of Clwyd
. Apart from the four years which followed his defeat, and again at the 2010 general election, Montgomeryshire has elected Liberal or Liberal-affiliated candidates since 1880.
He now sits for the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords
.
Between 1987 and 1993, Hooson was the President of the International Eisteddfod
, held annually at Llangollen
.
Hooson is a member of an old North Wales
agricultural family. He is the cousin (and political opponent) of Tom Hooson
, a Conservative MP who died in 1985.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(born 26 March 1925) is a Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
politician in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Montgomeryshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created in 1542, it elects one Member of Parliament , traditionally known as the knight of the shire, by the first-past-the-post system of election.The Montgomeryshire Welsh Assembly...
from 1962 until 1979.
Hooson was educated at Denbigh
Denbigh
Denbigh is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Before 1888, it was the county town of Denbighshire. Denbigh lies 8 miles to the north west of Ruthin and to the south of St Asaph. It is about 13 miles from the seaside resort of Rhyl. The town grew around the glove-making industry...
Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
and the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth University is a university located in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding Member Institution of the former federal University of Wales. As of late 2006, the university had over 12,000 students spread across seventeen academic departments.The university was founded in 1872 as...
. He served in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He became a barrister, called to the bar by Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1949, and in 1960 became the youngest ever Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
. He was chairman of the Flint
Flint, Flintshire
Flint is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Dee. It was the county town of the historic county of Flintshire and today is the third largest town in Flintshire. According to the 2001 Census the population of the community of Flint was 12,804...
Quarter Sessions
Quarter Sessions
The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the United Kingdom and other countries in the former British Empire...
from 1960 and Merioneth Quarter Sessions from 1962, and a member of the Bar Council
Bar council
A bar council , in a Commonwealth country and in the Republic of Ireland, the Bar Council of Ireland is a professional body that regulates the profession of barristers together with the King's Inns. Solicitors are generally regulated by the Law society....
from 1965. As QC, Hooson represented Ian Brady, one of the "Moors Murderers
Moors murders
The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around what is now Greater Manchester, England. The victims were five children aged between 10 and 17—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans—at least...
" along with Myra Hindley, when he was tried and convicted on 3 murder charges at Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
Crown Court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
in spring 1966.
He has also been a farmer.
Hooson became chairman of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 1955 and was elected to the Liberal Party executive in 1965. He contested Conway at the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
and again in 1951
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
. He became MP for Montgomeryshire at a 1962 by-election
Montgomeryshire by-election, 1962
The Montgomeryshire by-election, 1962 was a parliamentary by-election held on 15 May 1962 for the British House of Commons constituency of Montgomeryshire.- Previous MP :The seat had become vacant when, the constituency's Member of Parliament , the Rt Hon...
following the death of Clement Davies
Clement Davies
Clement Edward Davies KC, MP was a Welsh politician and leader of the Liberal Party from 1945 to 1956.-Life:...
, as a member of the Liberal Party. He contested the Liberal Party leadership election of 1967
Liberal Party (UK) leadership election, 1967
The 1967 Liberal Party leadership election was called following the resignation of Jo Grimond, in the wake of disappointing results in the 1966 General Election....
, but withdrew in favour of Jeremy Thorpe
Jeremy Thorpe
John Jeremy Thorpe is a British former politician who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976 and was the Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979. His political career was damaged when an acquaintance, Norman Scott, claimed to have had a love affair with Thorpe at a time...
.
In 1979, he lost his seat to the Conservatives and was then appointed a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Hooson, of Montgomery in the County of Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
and of Colomendy in the County of Clwyd
Clwyd
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east, bordering England with Cheshire to its east, Shropshire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Gwynedd to its immediate west and Powys to the south. It additionally shares a maritime border with the metropolitan county of...
. Apart from the four years which followed his defeat, and again at the 2010 general election, Montgomeryshire has elected Liberal or Liberal-affiliated candidates since 1880.
He now sits for the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Between 1987 and 1993, Hooson was the President of the International Eisteddfod
International Eisteddfod
The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a music festival which takes place every year during the second week of July in Llangollen, North Wales. Singers and dancers from around the world are invited to take part in over 20 high quality competitions followed each evening by concerts where...
, held annually at Llangollen
Llangollen
Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...
.
Hooson is a member of an old North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
agricultural family. He is the cousin (and political opponent) of Tom Hooson
Tom Hooson
Tom Ellis Hooson was a British Conservative Party politician. Hooson was Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom for Brecon and Radnor. He gained the seat from Labour in 1979, and held it until he died in office in 1985 at the age of 52...
, a Conservative MP who died in 1985.