William Hague (born 26 March 1961) was the Conservative Party MP for Richmond (Yorks) from 23 February 1989 to 30 March 2015, succeeding Leon Brittan and preceding Rishi Sunak. He also served as Leader of the Conservative Party from 19 June 1997 to 13 September 2001, succeeding John Major and preceding Iain Duncan Smith.
Biography[]
William Hague was born in Rotherham, Yorkshire, England on 26 March 1961, and he was educated at the University of Oxford. In 1989, he was elected to the House of Commons in a by-election, and he served as MP for Richmond from 23 February 1989 to 30 March 2015, succeeding Leon Brittan and preceding Rishi Sunak. He was a member of the ruling Conservative Party, and he rose in the ranks of Prime Minister John Major's government. In 1995, he became Secretary of State for Wales, and he was elected Leader of the Conservative Party in 1997 following the Tories' defeat in the general election by the Labour Party. In 2001, after the party's second defeat, he resigned as the Tories' leader, and he returned to the backbenches. In 2010, under Prime Minister David Cameron's ministry, William Hague served as First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary, but he decided not to stand for re-election in 2015, instead being appointed to the House of Lords.