Heath, Sir Edward Richard George

▪ 2006

      British politician (b. July 9, 1916, Broadstairs, Kent, Eng.—d. July 17, 2005, Salisbury, Wiltshire, Eng.), as prime minister (1970–74) of the United Kingdom, oversaw the country's entrance into the European Economic Community (EEC; now the European Union) in 1973. After graduating (1939) from Balliol College, Oxford, Heath served in the Royal Artillery during World War II, and in 1950 he was elected to Parliament for the Conservative Party. He was a strong proponent of European unity and in his role as lord privy seal (1960–63) headed negotiations for Britain's admission into the EEC. Although the talks ultimately failed after French Pres. Charles de Gaulle blocked Britain's membership in 1963, Heath earned praise for his efforts. In 1965 he became leader of the Conservative Party and led it to victory in the 1970 election. As prime minister he continued to pursue an EEC agreement, a process that was aided by the new French president, Georges Pompidou. In 1972 Heath signed an accession treaty, and the following year the U.K. officially joined the EEC. Escalating violence in Northern Ireland and economic problems, including labour strikes, plagued his administration, however. In the general elections of February 1974, the Conservatives lost seats in Parliament, and Heath was unable to form a coalition government. In March he was succeeded as prime minister by Harold Wilson of the Labour Party, and in 1975 he was replaced as Conservative leader by Margaret Thatcher, of whom he was highly critical. Heath, who remained an MP until 2001, wrote several books, including the autobiography The Course of My Life (1998). He was knighted in 1992.

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