Nicholas Lowther, 2nd Viscount Ullswater

Nicholas James Christopher Lowther, 2nd Viscount Ullswater LVO PC (born 9 January 1942), succeeded his great-grandfather in the Viscountcy of Ullswater in 1949, sitting in the House of Lords as a Conservative. He is one of very few peers to have succeeded a great-grandfather in a title.

Education

He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge.

Political career

Lord Ullswater was made a Lord-in-Waiting (whip) in January 1989 by Margaret Thatcher before becoming Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Employment in July 1990. He was retained by John Major in that role until 1993, when he became Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms (Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords). He remained in this role for a year when he became Minister of State for the Environment in 1994 (as well as a Privy Counsellor) in 1994, but he left the Government in a 1995 reshuffle.

Princess Margaret

In 1998, he became the Private Secretary to Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and continued in this office until her death in 2002. He was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in the special Honours List issued by the Queen after Princess Margaret's demise.

Return to politics

As a member of a Royal Household he could not take part in partisan politics and did not seek to remain in the House of Lords when the House of Lords Act 1999 was passed. But after the death of the Viscount of Oxfuird in January 2003, he won the all-house by-election, enabling him to return to the House of Lords.

On 22 May 2006, Lord Ullswater was nominated for the newly created post of Lord Speaker, and in the election held on 28 June 2006 emerged in third place out of nine candidates. His great-grandfather, James Lowther, served as Speaker of the House of Commons 1905–1921.

Titles and Styles and Arms

• 1942: Mr Nicholas Lowther
• 1942-1949: The Hon Nicholas Lowther
• 1949-1994: The Rt Hon The Viscount Ullswater
• 1992-2002: The Rt Hon The Viscount Ullswater PC
• 2002-: The Rt Hon The Viscount Ullswater LVO PC

Arms

Personal life

Lord Ullswater was an amateur jockey in his youth. He has two sons and two daughters:

• Hon. Emma Mary Lowther, (b. 1968)
• Hon. Clare Priscilla Lowther, (b. 1970)
• Hon. Benjamin James Lowther (b. 1975)
• Hon. Edward John Lowther (b. 1981)

References

• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
• "Keele University Political Science Resources". Retrieved 2007-07-07. 
• "Lord Speaker election". Retrieved 2007-07-07.