Virginia Bottomley

The Right Honourable The Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone PC DL
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In office 2 May 1997 – 11 June 1997
Leader	John Major
Preceded by	Chris Smith (National Heritage)
Succeeded by	Francis Maude
Secretary of State for National Heritage
In office 5 July 1995 – 2 May 1997
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Stephen Dorrell
Succeeded by	Chris Smith (Culture, Media and Sport)
Secretary of State for Health
In office 9 April 1992 – 5 July 1995
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	William Waldegrave
Succeeded by	Stephen Dorrell
Member of Parliament for South West Surrey
In office 3 May 1984 – 5 May 2005
Preceded by	Maurice Macmillan
Succeeded by	Jeremy Hunt
Personal details
Born	12 March 1948 (1948-03-12) Dunoon, United Kingdom
Political party	Conservative
Alma mater	University of Essex London School of Economics
Religion	Anglican

Virginia Bottomley, Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, PC, DL (née Virginia Hilda Brunette Maxwell Garnett, born 12 March 1948, Dunoon, Scotland) is a British Conservative Party politician. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons from 1984 to 2005. She was raised to the peerage in 2005. Considered to be a "One Nation Conservative", Bottomley is a Life Member of the Tory Reform Group. She has been Chair of the Board Practice at executive head hunting firm Odgers Berndtson since 2001.

Early life

Virginia Hilda Brunette Maxwell Garnett was born in Dunoon to W. John Garnett, former director of what was then called The Industrial Society, and Barbara Rutherford-Smith, teacher and elected Conservative member of the Inner London Education Authority. Her aunt on her father's side was Labour Greater London Council Member Peggy Jay. She met Peter, now Sir Peter Bottomley her husband, when she was 12.

Education

Bottomley was educated at Putney High School, an independent school for girls in Putney in south-west London, before going up to the University of Essex (BA). She later graduated from the London School of Economics with the degree of Master of Arts (MA).

Early career

Bottomley started as a social scientist, researcher for Child Poverty Action Group, social worker, magistrate (Justice of the Peace), and Chairman of the Inner London Juvenile Court.

Member of Parliament and in government

After unsuccessfully contesting the Isle of Wight in the 1983 General Election (34,904 votes), she was elected to Parliament with 21,545 votes in a by-election in 1984 (filling the seat left vacant by the death of Maurice Macmillan, son of former prime minister Harold Macmillan), as the Member for South West Surrey, received her first ministerial position in 1988 as a junior Environment Minister and was appointed Minister of Health in 1989. She was appointed a member of the Privy Council (PC) upon joining John Major's Cabinet as Secretary of State for Health in 1992 and served until 1995.

She then served as Secretary of State for National Heritage from 1995 to 1997. After the 1997 general election, she returned to the backbenches, also becoming a headhunter in the charity and public sectors, now also leading the Odgers Board practice.

Retirement

She stepped down from the House of Commons when the 2005 General Election was called. On 24 June 2005 she was created a Life Peer with the title Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, of St Helens in the County of Isle of Wight, the parish where she was baptised and celebrated her marriage.

Personal life

Bottomley is involved with charitable and academic bodies in addition to business. She is a Governor of the London School of Economics and a Pro-Chancellor of the University of Surrey. She was on the founding Council of the University of the Arts, London. She is also a Council Member of the Ditchley Foundation and President of Farnham Castle Centre for International Briefing. Since 2000 she has sat on the Supervisory Board of Akzo Nobel. She is a non-executive director of Bupa. She is on the Advisory Council of the International Chamber of Commerce UK (ICC UK) and the Judge School of Management, Cambridge. Bottomley has been a trustee and is a fellow of the Industry and Parliament Trust. She was National President of the Abbeyfield Society and a Vice-Patron of Carers and of Cruse Bereavement Care. She is a lay Canon of Guildford Cathedral, and a Freeman of the City of London. In 2006, she was elected and installed as Chancellor of the University of Hull, succeeding Lord Armstrong of Ilminster in April 2006. She was also appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey in March of that year.

Virginia Garnett married Peter Bottomley in 1967; since 1975 he has been an MP. They live in Milford, Surrey and also maintain residences in London and on the Isle of Wight. They have three children, Cecilia, Adela and Joshua. Peter and Virginia Bottomley had been parents together before their marriage.

Her brother, Christopher Garnett, is a former chief executive of the GNER railway, and Peter Jay, the former British Ambassador to the United States, is a cousin, as are Lord Hunt of Chesterton (Labour), Lord Oakshott of Seagrove Bay (Lib-Dem) and Baron Jay of Ewelme, former British Ambassador to France. Her stepmother is Dame Julia Cleverdon.

In 2007 she was a signatory to a letter supporting former BP CEO Lord Browne.

External links

• Debrett's People of Today
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Virginia Bottomley

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Maurice Macmillan	Member of Parliament for South West Surrey 1984–2005	Succeeded by Jeremy Hunt
Political offices
Preceded by William Waldegrave	Secretary of State for Health 1992–1995	Succeeded by Stephen Dorrell
Preceded by Stephen Dorrell	Secretary of State for National Heritage 1995–1997	Succeeded by Chris Smith as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport