William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill

The Right Honourable The Lord Waldegrave of North Hill PC
Official portrait, 2020
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 5 July 1995 – 2 May 1997
Prime Minister	John Major
Chancellor	Kenneth Clarke
Preceded by	Jonathan Aitken
Succeeded by	Alistair Darling
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
In office 20 July 1994 – 5 July 1995
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Gillian Shephard
Succeeded by	Douglas Hogg
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 10 April 1992 – 20 July 1994
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Chris Patten
Succeeded by	David Hunt
Secretary of State for Health
In office 2 November 1990 – 10 April 1992
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher John Major
Preceded by	Kenneth Clarke
Succeeded by	Virginia Bottomley
Junior ministerial offices 1981–1990 Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs In office 26 July 1988 – 2 November 1990 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Sec. of State Geoffrey Howe John Major Douglas Hurd Preceded by David Mellor Succeeded by Douglas Hogg Minister of State for Housing and Planning In office 13 June 1987 – 26 July 1988 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Sec. of State Nicholas Ridley Preceded by John Patten Succeeded by The Earl of Caithness Minister of State for Environment, Countryside and Planning In office 10 September 1986 – 12 June 1987 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Sec. of State Nicholas Ridley Preceded by The Lord Elton Succeeded by The Lord Belstead Minister of State for Local Government In office 2 September 1985 – 9 September 1986 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Sec. of State Kenneth Baker Nicholas Ridley Preceded by Kenneth Baker Succeeded by Rhodes Boyson Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment In office 13 June 1983 – 2 September 1985 Serving with Sir George Young (1983–1985) The Earl of Avon (1983–1985) Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Sec. of State Patrick Jenkin Preceded by Giles Shaw Succeeded by Angela Rumbold Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science In office 15 September 1981 – 13 June 1983 Serving with Rhodes Boyson (1981–1983) William Shelton (1981–1983) Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Sec. of State Mark Carlisle Sir Keith Joseph Preceded by Neil Macfarlane Succeeded by Peter Brooke · Bob Dunn
Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal Incumbent Assumed office 28 July 1999 Life Peerage Member of Parliament for Bristol West In office 3 May 1979 – 8 April 1997 Preceded by Robert Cooke Succeeded by Valerie Davey
Personal details
Born	William Arthur Waldegrave (1946-08-15) 15 August 1946 (age 78) London, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Caroline Burrows ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	4
Parent(s)	The 12th Earl Waldegrave Mary Hermione Grenfell
Relatives	The 13th Earl Waldegrave (brother) Lady Hussey of North Bradley (sister)
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	University of Oxford Harvard University

William Arthur Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill PC (/ˈwɔːlɡreɪv/; born 15 August 1946) is a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Cabinet minister from 1990 until 1997, and is a life member of the Tory Reform Group. Since 1999, he has been a life peer in the House of Lords. Lord Waldegrave was Provost of Eton College from 2009 to 2024. Additionally, he was Chancellor of the University of Reading from 2016 to 2022.^{[1] [2]}

Waldegrave's 2015 memoir, A Different Kind of Weather, discusses his high youthful political ambition, his political and to some extent personal life, and growing acceptance that he would not achieve his ultimate ambition. It also provides an account of the Heath, Thatcher and—to a lesser extent—Major governments, including his role in the development of the Poll Tax or community charge. It includes a chapter entitled 'The Poll Tax – all my own work'.^[3]

Waldegrave served as a Trustee (1992–2011) and Chair (2002–2011) of the Rhodes Trust, during which time he also helped to create and served as a Trustee of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation. His portrait hangs at Rhodes House, Oxford.^[4]

He was the Chairman of Trustees of the National Museum of Science and Industry from 2002 to 2010.^[5]