Kenneth Baker

He graduated from Oxford in 1958 with a BA degree in History, and four years later with a MSc degree in International Law and Regulations. He did his National Service in the Royal Artillery, reaching the rank of lieutenant, and worked for Royal Dutch Shell before being elected as a Member of Parliament at a by-election in March 1968. During his years in government, he held the offices of Home Secretary, Education Secretary and Conservative Party Chairman. Lord Baker was co-founder, along with the late Ronald Dearing, of the Baker Dearing Trust, an educational trust set up to promote the establishment of University Technical Colleges in England as part of the free school programme. He is also Chair of the independent education charity Edge Foundation which campaigns for a coherent, unified and holistic education for all young people. In 1997 he was created a life peer as Baron Baker of Dorking, of Iford in the County of East Sussex. In 2005 he published a book on King George IV, George IV: A Life in Caricature, followed by King George III: A Life in Caricature in 2007. Other publications include several compilations of poetry, a history of political cartoons and his autobiography.