Peter Blaker

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable

| name = The Lord Blaker

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

| image = Peter-Allan-Renshaw-Blaker-Baron-Blaker-of-Blackpool.jpg

| alt = Blaker in 1978

| office = Member of Parliament
for Blackpool South

| term_start = 15 October 1964

| term_end = 16 March 1992

| predecessor = Roland Robinson

| successor = Nick Hawkins

| office1 = Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal

| term_start1 = 10 October 1994

| term_end1 = 5 July 2009
Life peerage

| birth_name = Peter Allan Renshaw Blaker

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1922|10|04}}

| birth_place = British Hong Kong

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2009|07|05|1922|10|04}}

| party = Conservative

| spouse = {{marriage|Jennifer Dixon|1953}}

| children = 3

| parents = Cedric Blaker (father)

| education = Shrewsbury School

| alma_mater = New College, Oxford

}}

Peter Allan Renshaw Blaker, Baron Blaker, {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KCMG|PC}} (4 October 1922 – 5 July 2009) was a British Conservative politician.

Early life

Blaker was born in Hong Kong, son of Cedric Blaker. He was educated at Shrewsbury School before being evacuated to Canada in 1939. There he took a degree in classics, before being commissioned in the Canadian Army. On return to England he went to New College, Oxford. He qualified as a lawyer, and later joined the Foreign Office.

Political career

In 1964 he was elected Member of Parliament for Blackpool South, which he represented until 1992. In Parliament, he served as a Minister for the Army (1972–74), Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1974 and 1979–81). He was a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence from 29 May 1981,{{Cite web |url=http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/table/york/Defence.html |title=Keele: Ministerial membership of MOD 1970-97 |access-date=26 April 2009 |archive-date=16 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116113300/http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/table/york/Defence.html |url-status=dead }} until 9 June 1983.{{Cite web |url=http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/table/york/Defenceresign.html |title=Keele: Ministers who left the MoD who haven't gone elsewhere in Government |access-date=26 April 2009 |archive-date=19 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090119121849/http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/table/york/Defenceresign.html |url-status=dead }} He was sworn of the Privy Council in the 1983 Birthday Honours,{{London Gazette |issue=49375 |date=10 June 1983 |page=1 |supp=y}} and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) on 21 July 1983.{{London Gazette |issue=49424 |date=21 July 1983 |page=9700 |supp=y}}

House of Lords

On 10 October 1994 he was created a life peer as Baron Blaker, of Blackpool in the County of Lancaster and of Lindfield in the County of West Sussex.{{London Gazette |issue=53818 |date=13 October 1994 |page=14327}}

Coat of arms

{{Infobox COA wide

|image = File:Coronet of a British Baron.svg File:Blaker Escutcheon.png

|crest = A horse's head Sable maned Or bridled Argent reined Ermine.

|coronet = A Coronet of a Baron

|escutcheon = Per pale Argent and Or on a chevron Sable between three martlets volant Azure each holding in the beak a rose slipped Gules seeded Or two blackamoor heads couped Argent the ears ringed Or between three Ermine spots Argent.

|supporters = Dexter a wildcat guardant Or sinister a Chinese dragon also Or.{{cite book|title=Debrett's Peerage |date=2003 |page=164}}

|orders = Order of St Michael & St George circlet (Appointed KCMG 1983)

|motto = Esto Quod Esse Videris (Be What You Seem To Be)

}}

Personal life

In 1953, Blaker married Jennifer Dixon, daughter of diplomat Pierson Dixon. They had one son and two daughters.{{cite news |title=Lord Blaker (obituary) |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/5770591/Lord-Blaker.html |work=The Telegraph |accessdate=13 August 2018 |date=7 July 2009}}