Edward du Cann

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KBE}}

| image = Sir-Edward-Dillon-Lott-du-Cann.jpg

| caption = Du Cann in 1963

| office = Chairman of the 1922 Committee

| leader = {{ubl|Edward Heath|Margaret Thatcher}}

| term_start = 1972

| term_end = 1984

| predecessor = Harry Legge-Bourke

| successor = Cranley Onslow

| office1 = Chairman of the Conservative Party

| leader1 = {{ubl|Alec Douglas-Home|Edward Heath}}

| term_start1 = 21 January 1965

| term_end1 = 11 September 1967

| predecessor1 = The Viscount Blakenham

| successor1 = Anthony Barber

| office2 = Member of Parliament
for Taunton

| majority2 =

| term_start2 = 14 February 1956

| term_end2 = 18 May 1987

| predecessor2 = Henry Hopkinson

| successor2 = David Nicholson

| birth_name = Edward Dillon Lott du Cann

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1924|5|28}}

| birth_place = Beckenham, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2017|8|31|1924|5|28}}

| death_place = Cyprus

| party = Conservative Party

| spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Sallie Innes|1962|1990|end=div}}
{{marriage|Jennifer Cooke|1990|1995|end=d}}
Maureen Hope-Wynne

}}

| children = 3 (by Innes)

| alma_mater = St John's College, Oxford

| profession = Business

| allegiance = United Kingdom

| branch = {{navy|United Kingdom}}

| serviceyears =

| rank = Lieutenant

| unit =

| commands =

| battles = Second World War

| name = Sir Edward du Cann

}}

Sir Edward Dillon Lott du Cann {{post-nominals|country=GBR|KBE}} (28 May 1924 – 31 August 2017) was a British politician and businessman. He was a member of Parliament (MP) from 1956 to 1987 and served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1967 and as chairman of the party's 1922 Committee from 1972 to 1984.

Early life

Du Cann was born in Beckenham in 1924, the son of barrister and writer Charles du Cann, and Martha Janet (née Murchie) du Cann.{{cite ODNB|title = Du Cann, Sir Edward Dillon Lott (1924–2017), politician and businessman|last = Garnett|first = Mark|date = 2021|doi = 10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.90000380212}} He was educated at Colet Court, Woodbridge School and St John's College, Oxford, where he was a friend of Kingsley Amis. During the Second World War, he was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Navy. Serving as a lieutenant in motor torpedo boats based in East Anglia patrolling the North Sea, he served alongside both Owen Aisher (later a yachtsman and entrepreneur) and David Wickins (the founder of British Car Auctions and an entrepreneur).{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1541089/David-Wickins.html|title=Obituary – David Wickins|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=31 January 2007|access-date=14 July 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/news/s/2007738_auctions_magnate_began_by_selling_just_one_old_car |title=Auctions magnate began by selling just one old car |publisher=GetHampshire.co.uk |date=13 February 2007 |access-date=14 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623102205/http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/news/s/2007738_auctions_magnate_began_by_selling_just_one_old_car |archive-date=23 June 2013 }} At the end of the war, he became a company director.

Political career

In 1951, du Cann contested Walthamstow West and, in 1955, Barrow-in-Furness, on both occasions without success. He was elected as MP for Taunton in a 1956 by-election. Du Cann served as the Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 1962 and as a Minister of State at the Board of Trade 1963–64. He was then the chairman of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1967, and chairman of the 1922 Committee from 1972 to 1984. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1964.

In 1974, du Cann played a part in the events surrounding the elevation of Margaret Thatcher to the leadership of the Conservative Party. Following two narrow defeats for the Conservatives at the polls, in the February and October general elections, significant disquiet in the party had developed over the leadership of Edward Heath, who had lost three elections as leader. On 14 October, the executive of the 1922 Committee met at du Cann's home, amidst a good deal of press attention.{{cite book |last=Moore |first=Charles |title=Margaret Thatcher: the Authorised Biography. Volume One |publisher=Penguin |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-140-27956-6 |pages=266–267}}

That was soon followed by a more public meeting of the executive at du Cann's offices at Keyser Ullman, on Milk Street, where it was decided that the committee would press Heath to hold a leadership election. The location of this meeting led to Fleet Street nicknaming the attendees the "Milk Street Mafia". As Alec Douglas-Home, at Heath's request, considered the procedures for a leadership election, there was some speculation that du Cann would himself stand as a representative of the party's right wing against Heath.

By the time Douglas-Home reported in December 1974, however, events had intervened. The devastating collapse of the banking boom had swept up du Cann's firm, Keyser Ullman, in its path. He was criticized as "incompetent" by a 1974 Department of Trade and Industry report regarding the bankrupt Keyser Ullman bank, of which he was a director.{{cite book |last=Bower |first=Tom |title=Fayed: The Unauthorized Biography |publisher=Macmillan |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-333-74554-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/fayedunauthorize00bowe }} Du Cann did not put himself forward as a candidate in the leadership contest. This released key support for Margaret Thatcher, especially as another potential right-wing candidate, Keith Joseph, withdrew from any leadership attempt following a series of controversial speeches on social policy. Consequently, after defeating Heath in the first round, Thatcher emerged triumphant in the second round in early 1975, defeating a number of other candidates who would play significant roles in her subsequent premiership.Phillip Whitehead The Writing on the Wall – Britain in the Seventies (London: Michael Joseph, 1985), pp. 326–27.

In the last week of the 1975 referendum on British membership of the European Economic Community, du Cann came out against British membership.David Butler and Uwe Kitzinger The 1975 Referendum (London: Macmillan, 1976), pp. 173–74. He was chairman of the Public Accounts Committee from 1974 to 1979.

Post-political retirement

Du Cann retired from the House of Commons in 1987, selling his home Cothay Manor in 1993 and returning to live in London. He was instrumental in creating a scholarship programme for rugby league players at the University of Oxford.{{cite web |url=http://www.ourlfc.org/scholarship |title=OURL Scholarship Scheme |access-date=2 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050502143905/http://www.ourlfc.org/scholarship/ |archive-date=2 May 2005 |url-status=dead }}

Du Cann succeeded Duncan Sandys as chairman of Lonrho, a position from which he was forced to resign due to his role as deputy chairman of Homes Assured, a finance company which crashed. His resignation came two days before the company collapsed, owing £10 million to creditors.{{Cite news | last = Ward | first = Stephen | title = Du Cann will apply to have bankruptcy order lifted: Former chairman of Conservative Party faced petition for solicitors' bills|magazine = The Independent | date =26 March 1993 | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/du-cann-will-apply-to-have-bankruptcy-order-lifted-former-chairman-of-conservative-party-faced-petition-for-solicitors-bills-1499860.html | access-date = 25 September 2010 | location=London}} Du Cann was involved in several legal disputes over debts; his Somerset estate was repossessed in 1992 and his London flat was repossessed in 1993. He later had a bankruptcy order served against him.{{Cite news | last = Prestage | first = Michael | title = Du Cann struggles to buy back his estate|magazine = The Independent | date =16 August 1992 | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/du-cann-struggles-to-buy-back-his-estate-1540724.html | access-date = 25 September 2010 | location=London}}

He was a board member of E-Clear, a British payment processing company, which went into administration in January 2010.{{cite news| url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6968478.ece | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611163113/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6968478.ece | url-status=dead | archive-date=11 June 2011 | location=London | work=The Times | first1=Dominic | last1=O'Connell | first2=Jane | last2=Bradley | first3=Kasmira | last3=Jefford | title=City bigwigs Derek Tullett and Sir Edward du Cann dragged into Flyglobespan row | date=27 December 2009}}

Personal life

He married three times; first, in 1962, to Sallie (a cousin), whom he divorced in 1987, then to Jennifer (the widow of Robert Cooke, former MP for Bristol West), whom he married in 1990 and was with until her death in 1995.{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12097193.Du_Cann__broke_but_far_from_broken/ | title=Du Cann: broke but far from broken | date=25 September 1995}} He was declared bankrupt in 1993 and lived for several years in Alderney. As of 2013 he was a resident of Lemona in Cyprus.{{cite news|url=http://cyprus-mail.com/2013/10/25/sharing-the-fruits-of-the-vine/ | title=Sharing the Fruits of the Vine | date=25 October 2013}} He died from cancer in Cyprus on 31 August 2017 and is survived by his third wife, Maureen Hope-Wynne.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2017/09/06/sir-edward-du-cann-controversial-conservative-politician-businessman/ |title=Sir Edward du Cann, controversial Conservative politician and businessman – obituary |publisher=Telegraph.co.uk |date=2017-09-06 |access-date=2019-10-20}}