James Boyce
Encyclopedia
James "Jimmy" Boyce was a British Labour
politician.
He was a member of Sheffield Council from 1984 and was elected Member of Parliament
for Rotherham
in 1992, but died less than 2 years later.
, meeting and marrying Patricia Morton, with whom he had two sons, Jimmy and Calum. He was divorced in the late 80's and remarried in 1991.
1993 he was put on the transplant waiting list for a new heart after what he thought was a respiratory problem. He turned out to be suffering from an enlarged heart. On Burns Night 1994 he suffered a fatal heart attack at home in his living room. Over 500 people attended his memorial service at which a speaker was the then Labour Party leader John Smith, who, coincidentally, would also die of a heart attack later that year.
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician.
He was a member of Sheffield Council from 1984 and was elected 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,...
for Rotherham
Rotherham (UK Parliament constituency)
Rotherham is a borough constituency covering the town of Rotherham in South Yorkshire. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system....
in 1992, but died less than 2 years later.
Personal
James Boyce was born in 1947 in Paisley, Scotland, the son of James and Nellie Boyce. He came to settle in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, meeting and marrying Patricia Morton, with whom he had two sons, Jimmy and Calum. He was divorced in the late 80's and remarried in 1991.
Career
Boyce became involved in local politics through his father in-law, Alf Morton (who introduced him to the local Labour party). Boyce became involved in trade union activities while working in the then thriving steel works in Sheffield but, like many others, was made redundant in the early 1980s. He went on to study law at the then Sheffield Polytechnic but left during his second year. In 1984 he was elected as local councillor for the Burngreave ward in Sheffield.Health and death
On Christmas EveChristmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
1993 he was put on the transplant waiting list for a new heart after what he thought was a respiratory problem. He turned out to be suffering from an enlarged heart. On Burns Night 1994 he suffered a fatal heart attack at home in his living room. Over 500 people attended his memorial service at which a speaker was the then Labour Party leader John Smith, who, coincidentally, would also die of a heart attack later that year.