Fred Peart, Baron Peart

The Right Honourable The Lord Peart PC
Leader of the House of Lords
In office 10 September 1976 – 4 May 1979
Prime Minister	James Callaghan
Preceded by	The Lord Shepherd
Succeeded by	The Lord Soames
Lord Privy Seal
In office 10 September 1976 – 4 May 1979
Prime Minister	James Callaghan
Preceded by	The Lord Shepherd
Succeeded by	Ian Gilmour
In office 6 April 1968 – 1 November 1968
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	The Lord Shackleton
Succeeded by	The Lord Shackleton
Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
In office 5 March 1974 – 10 September 1976
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson James Callaghan
Preceded by	Joseph Godber
Succeeded by	John Silkin
In office 18 October 1964 – 6 April 1968
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Christopher Soames
Succeeded by	Cledwyn Hughes
Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council
In office 1 November 1968 – 20 June 1970
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Richard Crossman
Succeeded by	Willie Whitelaw
Member of Parliament for Workington
In office 5 July 1945 – 23 Sep 1976
Preceded by	Thomas Cape
Succeeded by	Richard Page
Personal details
Born	30 April 1914(1914-04-30)
Died	26 August 1988(1988-08-26) (aged 74)
Political party	Labour
Alma mater	Durham University

Thomas Frederick "Fred" Peart, Baron Peart, PC (30 April 1914 – 26 August 1988) was a British Labour politician who served in the Labour governments of the 1960s and 1970s and was a candidate for Deputy Leader of the Party.

The son of Emerson Featherstone Peart, a headmaster and leading Labour member of Durham County Council, and Florence Blissenden, Peart himself qualified as a teacher at the University of Durham in 1936. He served in the Royal Artillery in World War II, gaining the rank of Captain.

Peart was elected Member of Parliament for Workington in 1945, serving until 1976. He initially served as PPS to the Minister of Agriculture & Fisheries (Tom Williams).

Peart, along with the rest of the Labour Party, went into opposition after Sir Winston Churchill's 1951 election victory. In 1964, he returned to government after Harold Wilson defeated Sir Alec Douglas-Home at that year's election. He was appointed to the Cabinet holding the position Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, a senior one. His tenure saw advances in pay for agricultural labourers, and in technology. In 1968 Peart became Lord Privy Seal, with no particular responsibilities. This was because it suited Wilson to remove him from the Cabinet, but he wanted to keep him in the Cabinet. When the then Leader of the House of Commons was moved seven months later, Peart became Leader of the House of Commons, taking the subsidiary title Lord President of the Council. After Labour lost the 1970 election, Peart returned to opposition. When Labour returned to power, Peart became Agriculture Minister once more.

Not long after Wilson stood down in 1976, Peart was made a life peer in 1976 as Baron Peart, of Workington in the County of Cumbria, serving as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal at a time when the Labour faction in the Lords was tiny compared to the vast Tory majority, mainly composed of hereditary peers.

After Margaret Thatcher won the 1979 election, Peart went into opposition once again.

Lord Peart died in 1988.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Fred Peart

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Thomas Cape	Member of Parliament for Workington 1945–1976	Succeeded by Richard Page
Political offices
Preceded by Christopher Soames	Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1964–1968	Succeeded by Cledwyn Hughes
Preceded by The Lord Shackleton	Lord Privy Seal 1968	Succeeded by The Lord Shackleton
Preceded by Richard Crossman	Leader of the House of Commons 1968–1970	Succeeded by William Whitelaw
	Lord President of the Council 1968–1970
Preceded by Joseph Godber	Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1974–1976	Succeeded by John Silkin
Preceded by The Lord Shepherd	Leader of the House of Lords 1976–1979	Succeeded by Ian Gilmour
	Lord Privy Seal 1976–1979	Succeeded by The Lord Soames
Party political offices
Preceded by The Lord Shepherd	Leader of the Labour Party in the House of Lords 1976–1982	Succeeded by The Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos