Ian Gow: Information and Much More from Answers.com

Ian Gow MP
In office 1974 – 1990
Constituency	Eastbourne
Born	11 February 1937
Died	30 July 1990 (aged 53) Hankham, East Sussex
Political party	Conservative Party (UK)
Spouse	Jane Elizabeth Packe
Occupation	Solicitor
Religion	Church of England

Ian Reginald Edward Gow TD (11 February 1937 – 30 July 1990) was a British Conservative politician and a solicitor. While serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Eastbourne, he was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who exploded a bomb under his car at his home in Sussex.^[1]

Early life

Ian Gow was the son of Alexander Edward Gow, a prominent London doctor attached to St Bartholomew's Hospital who died in 1952.^[2] Ian Gow was educated at Winchester College, where he was president of the debating society. During a period of national service from 1955 to 1958 he was commissioned in the 15/19th Hussars and served in Ulster, Germany and Malaya. He served in the territorial army until 1976.

After completing national service he took up a career in the law and qualified as a solicitor in 1962. He eventually became a partner in the London practice of Joynson-Hicks and Co.^[3]. He also became a Conservative Party activist. Although later identified with the right wing of the Party, he took a liberal position on some issues. For example, he visited Rhodesia at the time of UDI and was subsequently critical of that country's white minority regime. He stood for Parliament in the Clapham constituency, a Labour held London marginal seat, in the 1966 general election. An account in The Times of his candidature described him in the following terms :

He is a bachelor solicitor aged 29 wearing his public school manner as prominently as his rosette. Words such as "overpowering", "arrogant" and "bellicose" are used to describe him^[4]

After failing to take Clapham ^[5] he continued his quest to find a seat. He eventually succeeded at Eastbourne in 1972 after the local Party de-selected its sitting member, Sir Charles Taylor. Sir Charles had represented Eastbourne since 1935 and did not take kindly to Gow.^[6]

Gow married Jane Elizabeth Packe in 1966. They had two sons, James and Charles.

Political career

He entered Parliament as the member for Eastbourne in the general election of February 1974.^[7] Eastbourne was a traditional Conservative seat but, in common with other English south coast towns in the 1970s, it was coming under some pressure from the Liberals. Gow proved to be a popular and communicative constituency member. In the general election of October 1974 he was able to secure a 10% swing from Liberal to Conservative thereby doubling his majority.^[8] He held his seat with a comfortable majority at every election thereafter. His local supporters included the famous Dr John Bodkin Adams who regularly donated to his election funds.

Gow was brought onto the Conservative front bench in 1978 to share the duties of opposition spokesman on Northern Ireland with Airey Neave. The two men developed a Conservative policy on Northern Ireland which favoured complete integration of the province with Great Britain. This approach appeared to avoid compromise with the province's nationalist minority and with the government of the Republic of Ireland. Both Neave and Gow were killed by car bomb attacks in 1979 and 1990 respectively. Irish republican paramilitaries claimed responsibility in both cases. But, nobody was ever charged with causing the deaths and rumours later circulated concerning possible involvement of the CIA and intelligence community.^[9]

Through his association with Neave, Gow was introduced to the inner circles of the Conservative Party. He was appointed parliamentary private secretary to Margaret Thatcher in May 1979 at the time she became Prime Minister. While serving in this capacity between 1979 and 1983, Gow became a close friend and confidante of the Prime Minister. He was deeply involved in the workings of Thatcher's private office. Although a dedicated Thatcherite, Gow could be liberal on some economic issues. For example, as Minister of State for Housing and Construction (from 1983 to June 1985) he showed a willingness to commit public funds to housing projects that alarmed some on the right wing of the Conservative party. "After taking what was perhaps too principled a stand in a complex dispute over Housing Improvement Grants, he was moved sideways to the post of minister of state at the Treasury"- The Guardian, 31 July 1990.

From 1982, Conservative policy began to move towards a more conciliatory position on Northern Ireland. In November 1985, Gow was persuaded by his cousin Nicholas Budgen to resign as Minister of State in HM Treasury over the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.^[10][11] This Agreement would ultimately lead to devolved government for Northern Ireland, power sharing in the province and engagement with the Republic. After his resignation from the government, Gow became chairman of the parliamentary Conservative backbench committee on Northern Ireland. He was a leading opponent of any compromise with republicans.

In spite of being an opponent of the broadcasting of Parliamentary debates, on 21 November 1989, Gow made history by becoming the first MP to deliver a speech in the House of Commons with television cameras present. Gow was moving the Loyal Address at the opening of Parliament. In his speech, Gow referred to a letter he had received from a firm of consultants who had offered to improve his personal appearance and television image.^[12]

Death

On 30 July 1990, the IRA planted a bomb under Gow's Montego car, which detonated in the driveway of his 16th century home (called "The Doghouse")^[13] in the village of Hankham, near Pevensey in East Sussex. The 4 1/2-lb. Semtex bomb detonated at 08:39 as Gow reversed out of his driveway, leaving him with severe wounds to his lower body.^[14][15] He died 10 minutes later.

Neil Kinnock commented that "This is a terrible atrocity against a man whose only offence was to speak his mind,... I had great disagreement with Ian Gow and he with me, but no one can doubt his sincerity or his courage, and it is appalling that he should lose his life because of these qualities."^[16]

The IRA claimed responsibility for killing Gow stating that he was targeted due to the fact that he was a "close personal associate" of Margaret Thatcher and due to his role in developing British policy on Northern Ireland.^[17]

Aftermath

Evaluations of Gow's political career by obituarists were mixed in tone. All commented on his personal charm and his skills in public speaking and political manoeuvre. But, his obituary in The Times stated that "It could not be said that his resignation in 1985 cut short a brilliant ministerial career"^[18]. A tendency toward political intrigue (for example, trying to covertly undermine Jim Prior's Northern Ireland initiative after 1982) made him some enemies. Nicholas Budgen commented that Gow's personal devotion to Mrs Thatcher may not have been good for Thatcher or her government.

After his death, his widow Jane was appointed a DBE in 1990 and thus became Dame Jane Gow. In 1994, she re-married; her second spouse is Lt-Col. Michael Whiteley, and she is now known as Dame Jane Whiteley.^[14] She continues to promote the life and work of her first husband.

When the Eastbourne by-election for his seat in the House of Commons was won by the Liberal Democrat David Bellotti, the Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe sent a message to voters saying that the IRA would be "toasting their success".^[19]

External links

• YouTube video, TV news reports of Ian Gow's death in 1990

References

• This page incorporates information from Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page.

Parliament of the United Kingdom (1801–present)
Preceded by Sir Charles Stuart Taylor	Member of Parliament for Eastbourne February 1974–1990	Succeeded by David Bellotti

Persondata
NAME	Gow, Ian Reginald
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	British Conservative MP killed by an IRA bomb
DATE OF BIRTH	11 February 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH	30 July 1990
PLACE OF DEATH