Hurd, Douglas

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Hurd, Douglas (b. 1930). Former Conservative cabinet minister. After attending Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, Hurd entered the diplomatic service. He served in Peking (1954–6), at the United Nations (1956–60), and in Rome (1963–6) before leaving to enter politics. In 1966 he joined the Conservative research department and later served as Edward Heath's private secretary (1968–74). In 1974 Hurd became MP for Mid-Oxon and managed to make a smooth transition from Heath to Thatcher. Considered a moderate, he held various cabinet appointments including Northern Ireland (1984–5) and the Home Office (1985–9) before becoming foreign secretary (1989–95). He is the first former official of the Foreign Office subsequently to become its head. Hurd stood in the leadership contest of November 1990 but came third behind John Major and Michael Heseltine. He retired in 1995 to take a position in the city. Hurd also has a sideline as a writer of thriller novels.

Richard A. Smith

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