William Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw

The Right Honourable The Viscount Whitelaw KT CH MC PC DL
Whitelaw in 1963
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
De facto 4 May 1979 – 10 January 1988
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Rab Butler (de facto)
Succeeded by	Geoffrey Howe
Lord President of the Council
In office 11 June 1983 – 10 January 1988
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	John Biffen
Succeeded by	John Wakeham
In office 20 June 1970 – 7 April 1972
Prime Minister	Edward Heath
Preceded by	Fred Peart
Succeeded by	Robert Carr
Leader of the House of Lords
In office 11 June 1983 – 10 January 1988
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	The Baroness Young
Succeeded by	The Baron Belstead
Home Secretary
In office 4 May 1979 – 11 June 1983
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Merlyn Rees
Succeeded by	Leon Brittan
Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party
In office 12 February 1975 – 7 August 1991
Leader	Margaret Thatcher John Major
Preceded by	Reginald Maudling (1972)
Succeeded by	Peter Lilley (1998)
Secretary of State for Employment
In office 2 December 1973 – 4 March 1974
Prime Minister	Edward Heath
Preceded by	Maurice Macmillan
Succeeded by	Michael Foot
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In office 24 March 1972 – 2 December 1973
Prime Minister	Edward Heath
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Francis Pym
Leader of the House of Commons
In office 20 June 1970 – 7 April 1972
Prime Minister	Edward Heath
Preceded by	Fred Peart
Succeeded by	Robert Carr
Party political offices 1964–1975 Chairman of the Conservative Party In office 4 March 1974 – 11 February 1975 Leader Edward Heath Preceded by Peter Carington Succeeded by Peter Thorneycroft Chief Whip of the Conservative Party In office 16 October 1964 – 20 June 1970 Leader Sir Alec Douglas-Home Edward Heath Preceded by Martin Redmayne Succeeded by Francis Pym
Junior ministerial offices Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour In office 16 July 1962 – 16 October 1964 Monarch Elizabeth II Prime Minister Harold Macmillan Alec Douglas-Home Preceded by Alan Green Succeeded by Office abolished Lord Commissioner of the Treasury In office 6 March 1961 – 16 July 1962 Monarch Elizabeth II Prime Minister Harold Macmillan Preceded by Paul Bryan Succeeded by Gordon Campbell
Shadow Cabinet posts Shadow Home Secretary In office 11 April 1976 – 4 May 1979 Leader Margaret Thatcher Preceded by Ian Gilmour Succeeded by Merlyn Rees
Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal In office 16 June 1983 – 1 July 1999 Hereditary peerage Preceded by Peerage created Succeeded by Peerage extinct Member of Parliament for Penrith and The Border In office 26 May 1955 – 11 June 1983 Preceded by Donald Scott Succeeded by David Maclean
Personal details
Born	William Stephen Ian Whitelaw (1918-06-28)28 June 1918 Edinburgh, Scotland
Died	1 July 1999(1999-07-01) (aged 81) Blencow, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Cecilia Sprot ​ (m. 1943)​
Children	4
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1939–1946
Rank	Major
Unit	Scots Guards
Battles/wars	World War II

William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, KT, CH, MC, PC, DL (28 June 1918 – 1 July 1999) was a British Conservative Party politician who served in a wide number of Cabinet positions, most notably as Home Secretary from 1979 to 1983 and as de facto Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1988.^[1][2][3] He was Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1991.^[4]

After the Conservative Party won an unexpected victory at the 1970 general election, Whitelaw was appointed as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council by Prime Minister Edward Heath. After the suspension of the Stormont Parliament resulted in the imposition of direct rule, Whitelaw served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1972 to 1973. He also served under Heath as Secretary of State for Employment from 1973 to 1974 and as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1974 to 1975.

Whitelaw served Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher throughout her leadership of the Conservative Party as deputy party leader. He served as de facto Deputy Prime Minister between 1979 and 1988 and as Home Secretary from 1979 to 1983. He stepped down as a Member of Parliament at the 1983 general election, and was appointed as a Member of the House of Lords. He served as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council from 1983 to 1988. He was a captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.^[5]