John Major Biography Quotes 8 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
John Major was born on 29 March 1943 in St Helier, Surrey (now part of Greater London). He grew up in modest circumstances after his father, Tom Major-Ball, a former music-hall performer and small businessman, saw his ventures decline. His mother, Gwen Major (nee Coates), provided stability during frequent changes of fortune, and his elder brother, Terry Major-Ball, became a familiar and supportive presence throughout his life. The family settled in Brixton, where Major attended Rutlish School in Merton. He left formal education at sixteen, an early departure that shaped both his self-perception and his later public image as an unpretentious, self-made Conservative who had not benefited from elite schooling.

Early Career and Political Beginnings
After leaving school, Major worked a succession of junior jobs before establishing himself in banking at Standard Chartered. He joined the Young Conservatives and learned the craft of local politics in south London. In 1968 he won a seat on Lambeth Council, gaining practical experience of housing and social policy at a time of urban change and economic strain. Though he twice failed to enter Parliament in the 1974 general elections, contesting St Pancras North, his perseverance impressed party organizers. He married Norma Johnson in 1970; their partnership and their two children, Elizabeth and James, provided the private ballast for a career that increasingly demanded public resilience.

Rise at Westminster
Major entered the House of Commons in 1979 as Conservative Member of Parliament for Huntingdon, elected on the same day Margaret Thatcher won power. He advanced through the backbenches with a reputation for diligence rather than rhetoric, becoming a junior minister at the Department of Health and Social Security in 1984 and Minister of State for Social Security the following year. In 1987 Thatcher appointed him Chief Secretary to the Treasury, where he worked closely with the Chancellor and Cabinet colleagues such as Nigel Lawson and Douglas Hurd. He briefly served as Foreign Secretary in 1989 before moving to the Treasury as Chancellor of the Exchequer, succeeding Lawson. As Chancellor he oversaw Britain's entry into the European Exchange Rate Mechanism in October 1990, a move that tied economic policy to European currency stability.

Becoming Prime Minister
The Conservative Party's internal turmoil in 1990 culminated in Margaret Thatcher's resignation. Major won the subsequent leadership contest against Michael Heseltine and Douglas Hurd and became Prime Minister in November 1990, the first postwar premier educated entirely at state schools. He sought to lower the political temperature after the ideological heat of the Thatcher years, bringing figures such as Heseltine, Hurd, and Norman Lamont into senior positions, and balancing the interests of party factions represented by Norman Tebbit and others on the right with pro-European moderates.

Governing in a Time of Change
As Prime Minister, Major faced an early international test when Iraq's invasion of Kuwait brought the 1991 Gulf War; he worked in close concert with US President George H. W. Bush and allied leaders. Domestically, he replaced the unpopular Community Charge (poll tax) with council tax, and launched a "Citizen's Charter" to improve public services. He presided over the creation of the National Lottery, designed to channel funds into sport, heritage, and the arts.

Europe dominated his premiership. Major negotiated the Maastricht Treaty with fellow leaders such as Helmut Kohl and secured opt-outs from the single currency and the Social Chapter, an attempt to reconcile Conservative divisions. After unexpectedly defeating Labour's Neil Kinnock in the 1992 general election, he governed with a slender majority. That victory was soon overshadowed by "Black Wednesday" on 16 September 1992, when sterling was forced out of the ERM. Chancellor Norman Lamont took the immediate brunt of public anger and was later succeeded by Kenneth Clarke, whose stewardship coincided with a recovery, but the damage to the government's economic reputation lingered.

Major's "Back to Basics" theme sought a return to standards in public life and public services but was undermined by a succession of scandals involving Conservative MPs, contributing to an atmosphere of "sleaze". The government nonetheless advanced significant reforms, including the Private Finance Initiative and the privatization of British Rail. In 1993, working with the Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and in dialogue with figures such as John Hume, Major issued the Downing Street Declaration, which helped pave the way for the 1994 IRA ceasefire and a new phase of the Northern Ireland peace process. Relations with the administration of US President Bill Clinton were sometimes strained over policy toward Irish republican leaders, yet the framework Major established proved crucial for the later Good Friday Agreement.

By 1995, Eurosceptic rebellions and leadership speculation prompted Major to challenge his critics to "put up or shut up". John Redwood stood against him in a leadership contest, which Major won, but the party's fractures persisted. Michael Heseltine became Deputy Prime Minister in 1995, a prominent ally as Major tried to steady his government through the final phase of the Parliament.

Defeat and Departure from Office
The 1997 general election delivered a landslide to Labour under Tony Blair. Major resigned as party leader the same day, with William Hague succeeding him. He remained MP for Huntingdon until 2001, respected across the House for his courtesy and calm under pressure. He was made a Companion of Honour in 1999 and, in 2005, a Knight of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth II, distinctions that reflected his service and standing.

Later Life and Public Voice
After leaving frontline politics, Major wrote a widely read autobiography and later a history of cricket, a lifelong passion. He undertook business and charitable roles, including advisory work and support for youth and health initiatives, while continuing to speak on constitutional and European questions. During the debates over the United Kingdom's relationship with the European Union, he argued for pragmatic engagement and campaigned for remaining within the EU, at times appearing alongside fellow former prime ministers such as Tony Blair to caution against long-term risks. He later intervened publicly over constitutional issues surrounding the prorogation of Parliament, emphasizing the rule of law and parliamentary sovereignty.

Personal Character and Legacy
Major's public persona emphasized modesty, steadiness, and administrative competence over flamboyance. Those qualities endeared him to colleagues such as Douglas Hurd and Kenneth Clarke, even as sharper operators in the party questioned his authority during crises. His marriage to Norma Major provided a stable private base throughout periods of extraordinary scrutiny. Though the setbacks of Black Wednesday and the "sleaze" narrative dented his government's reputation, historians increasingly highlight his role in the early peace process in Northern Ireland, his careful navigation of Maastricht with opt-outs that shaped Britain's European path, and his attention to citizen-facing reforms. From a Brixton upbringing to the premiership, John Major's story is one of persistence, pragmatism, and service through a turbulent chapter of late twentieth-century British politics.

Our collection contains 8 quotes who is written by John, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Ethics & Morality - Legacy & Remembrance - Decision-Making - Vision & Strategy.

Other people realated to John: Princess Diana (Royalty), Iain Duncan Smith (Politician), John Bruton (Politician), Paddy Ashdown (Politician), Chris Patten (Politician), Jacques Delors (Economist), Alan Clark (Politician), William Whitelaw (Politician), Roy Hattersley (Statesman), Helmut Kohl (Politician)