Norman St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley

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Norman Anthony Francis St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley, PC (born May 18, 1929), is a British Conservative politician, author and barrister. His surname was compounded from his father's (Stevas) and mother's (St John-O'Connor).

He was educated at Ratcliffe College, Leicester and read law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (MA). He also studied at Christ Church, Oxford (MA BCL), London (PhD) and Yale University (JSD). He was called to the Bar of the Middle Temple in 1952.

He was elected Member of Parliament for Chelmsford, Essex in 1964 and held the seat until 1987. He served as Minister of State for the Arts, and from 1979 to 1981 was Leader of the House of Commons and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. In this role he was largely credited with the creation of Commons' select committees which enabled backbench MPs to hold ministers to account. He was one of the Tory 'wets' who was purged from the Cabinet by PM Mrs Thatcher in the 1981 reshuffle. He had been critical of her approach. For many years he was a member of the Bow Group.

He stood down from the Commons in 1987 and was elevated to the House of Lords.

He was Chairman of the Royal Fine Arts Commission from 1985 to 1999, and Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge from 1991 to 1996. He is a Patron of the Society of King Charles the Martyr, and Grand Bailiff for England and Wales of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus.

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