Gordon James Oakes | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Bolton West | |
| In office 15 October 1964 – 29 May 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Arthur Holt |
| Succeeded by | Robert Redmond |
| Member of Parliament for Halton Widnes (1971-1983) | |
| In office 23 September 1971 – 8 April 1997 | |
| Preceded by | James MacColl |
| Succeeded by | Derek Twigg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 June 1931 Widnes, England |
| Died | 15 August 2005 (aged 74) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Esther O'Neill
(m. 1952; died 1998) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Liverpool University |
| Profession | Solicitor |
Gordon James Oakes (22 June 1931 – 15 August 2005) was a British Labour Party politician.
Early life
Oakes was born in Widnes, Cheshire, and was educated at Wade Deacon Grammar School, in Widnes and at Liverpool University.[1] A solicitor by profession, he became a councillor on Widnes Borough Council in 1952, serving as Mayor in 1964.[1]
Parliamentary career
Oakes unsuccessfully contested Bebington in 1959 and Manchester Moss Side at a 1961 by-election.
He served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolton West from 1964 to 1970, when he was beaten by the Conservative Robert Redmond by 1,244 votes. He was re-elected for Widnes from a 1971 by-election until 1983, and for Halton from 1983 until 1997.
Oakes served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Home Secretary from 1966, and in the government of Harold Wilson as a junior minister and as a Minister of State under James Callaghan. He was made a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in 1979. He left the Opposition front bench in 1983.
He was one of the MPs approached in the 1994 Cash-for-Questions affair, to which he responded "That is not how we do things here".
Personal life and death
Oakes was married to the former Esther O'Neill from 1952 until her death in 1998; they had three sons.[1] He died on 15 August 2005, at the age of 74.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Gordon Oakes - Obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 16 August 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2017.