Death of Soulbury's Sir Nicholas Bonsor, descendant of Lord Nelson, former MP and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Bucks

Sir Nicholas of Liscombe Park House, Soulbury, was 80
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Sir Nicholas Bonsor, a descendent of Lord Admiral Nelson, former MP and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Bucks, died on March 21, aged 80.

Sir Nicholas, of Liscombe Park House, Soulbury, served as a Conservative MP for Upminster, leaving the Commons on May 1, 1997.

Prior to that he was Conservative MP for Nantwich, and despite his Euroscepticism served as Foreign Office minister for John Major’s final two years in office.

British Prime Minister John Major (4th L) gives the opening speech at the Bosnian Peace Implementation Conference 8 December, in Lancaster House, with (from L) delegation members Madeleine Albright from the US.,  British Minister for Former Yugoslavia  Sir Nicholas Bonsor, British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, British Secretary for Defence Michael Portillo and French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit JOHNNY EGGITT/AFP via Getty Images)British Prime Minister John Major (4th L) gives the opening speech at the Bosnian Peace Implementation Conference 8 December, in Lancaster House, with (from L) delegation members Madeleine Albright from the US.,  British Minister for Former Yugoslavia  Sir Nicholas Bonsor, British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, British Secretary for Defence Michael Portillo and French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit JOHNNY EGGITT/AFP via Getty Images)
British Prime Minister John Major (4th L) gives the opening speech at the Bosnian Peace Implementation Conference 8 December, in Lancaster House, with (from L) delegation members Madeleine Albright from the US., British Minister for Former Yugoslavia Sir Nicholas Bonsor, British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind, British Secretary for Defence Michael Portillo and French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit JOHNNY EGGITT/AFP via Getty Images)

In his early political career Sir Nicholas unsuccessfully fought Newcastle-under-Lyme in the February and October 1974 elections, but then became MP for Nantwich from 1979 to 1983, and Upminster from 1983 until he lost the seat to Labour's Keith Darvill in 1997.

A barrister, he was Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1997, and was chair of the Defence Committee from January 1092 to July 1995.

In 1994, shortly before becoming a minister, Sir Nicholas challenged the incumbent Sir Marcus Fox for the chairmanship of the influential 1922 Committee, and narrowly lost by 129 votes to 116. A Eurosceptic, he had previously rebelled against the government by voting several times against the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty in the 1992-93 parliamentary session.

Sir Nicholas was educated at Eton College and Keble College, Oxford.

He was said to be a strong supporter of foxhunting, chairing the British Field Sports Society and believed his main political focus on defence and foreign affairs to have descended from Lord Nelson, along with other similar personality traits.

He leaves a wife and five children, his eldest son Alexander succeeding to the baronetcy as the 5th Baronet.