Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury
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The Most Honourable The Marquess of Salisbury KCVO PC DL |
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| Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire | |
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Assumed office 7 October 2005 |
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| Preceded by | The Lord MacLaurin of Knebworth |
| Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords | |
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In office 2 May 1997 – 3 December 1998 |
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| Leader |
John Major William Hague |
| Preceded by | The Lord Richard |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Strathclyde |
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Leader of the House of Lords Lord Privy Seal |
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In office 20 July 1994 – 2 May 1997 |
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| Prime Minister | John Major |
| Preceded by | John Wakeham |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Richard |
| Under-Secretary of State for Defence | |
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In office 22 April 1992 – 20 July 1994 |
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| Prime Minister | John Major |
| Preceded by |
Kenneth Carlisle & The Earl of Arran |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Henley |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
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Assumed office 17 November 1999 Life Peerage |
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In office 1 January 1992 – 11 November 1999 as Baron Cecil of Essendon |
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| Preceded by | Robert, 6th Marquess of Salisbury (Writ of acceleration) |
| Succeeded by | House of Lords Act 1999 |
| Member of Parliament for South Dorset |
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In office 3 May 1979 – 11 June 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Evelyn King |
| Succeeded by | Ian Bruce |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 September 1946 |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Robert Michael James Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, KCVO, PC, DL (born 30 September 1946) is a British Conservative politician. During the 1990s, he was Leader of the House of Lords under his courtesy title of Viscount Cranborne. Lord Salisbury lives in one of England's largest historic houses, Hatfield House, which was built by an ancestor in the early 17th century, and he currently serves as Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire.
Robert Michael James Gascoyne-Cecil was born on 30 September 1946 as the eldest child and first-born son of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 6th Marquess of Salisbury. His younger brother was the journalist Lord Richard Cecil, who was killed covering the conflict in Rhodesia in 1978.
Lord Cranborne attended Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, and became a merchant banker before going to work on the family estates.
Lord Cranborne was selected, unexpectedly, as Conservative candidate for South Dorset in 1976, where his family owned lands, despite the presence of several former MPs on the shortlist. He spoke at the 1978 Conservative Party conference to oppose sanctions against Rhodesia. He won the seat in the 1979 general election, the seventh consecutive generation of his family to sit in the Commons, and in his first speech urged Ian Smith to stand aside in favour of Abel Muzorewa.
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