John Marek | |
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Deputy Presiding Officer of the Welsh Assembly | |
In office 2 May 2000 – 7 May 2007 |
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Preceded by | Jane Davidson |
Succeeded by | Rosemary Butler |
Member of the Welsh Assembly for Wrexham |
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In office 6 May 1999 – 3 May 2007 |
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Preceded by | Assembly Established |
Succeeded by | Lesley Griffiths |
Member of Parliament for Wrexham |
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In office 9 June 1983 – 7 June 2001 |
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Preceded by | Tom Ellis |
Succeeded by | Ian Lucas |
Personal details | |
Born |
London, England |
24 December 1940
Nationality | British |
Political party | Conservative |
Other political affiliations |
Forward Wales (2003 – 10) John Marek Independent (2003) Labour (1983–2003) |
Alma mater | King's College London |
John Marek (born 24 December 1940), is a Welsh Conservative politician, former Member of Parliament and former Member of the National Assembly for Wales. He was leader of Forward Wales until joining the Conservatives in 2010.
He was Labour Member of Parliament for Wrexham from 1983 until 2001. He stood down after he was elected to represent Wrexham in the National Assembly for Wales in 1999. This was initially for the Labour Party, but he was deselected in 2003 and formed Forward Wales, for whom he was re-elected. He was defeated at the 2007 election.
Born in London of Czech descent, Marek was the only Czech-speaking Member of the UK Parliament. He was educated at Chatham House Grammar School and at King's College London where he earned a BSc in Mathematics in 1962, and a PhD in Mathematics in 1965. He became a lecturer in applied mathematics at Aberystwyth University
Marek was elected a member of Ceredigion District Council in 1979 and served until 1983; he was chair of its finance sub-committee in the year 1982-83.
Having previously unsuccessfully contested Ludlow in October 1974, Marek was elected as Labour Party Member of Parliament for the Wrexham Westminster constituency in 1983 and served as a party spokesman on Treasury matters, although he was not offered a government post in 1997.