Hugh Lawson, 6th Baron Burnham

Hugh John Frederick Lawson, 6th Baron Burnham (15 August 1931 – 1 January 2005), was a British hereditary peer and journalist.

The Right Honourable The Lord Burnham
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
as a hereditary peer 21 September 1993 – 11 November 1999
Preceded by	The 5th Baron Burnham
Succeeded by	Seat abolished [a]
as an elected hereditary peer 11 November 1999 – 1 January 2005
Preceded by	Seat established [a]
Succeeded by	The Lord de Mauley
Personal details
Born	Hugh John Frederick Lawson (1931-08-15)15 August 1931
Died	1 January 2005(2005-01-01) (aged 73)
Political party	Conservative
Occupation	Politician, journalist

Early life and education

Burnham was born in 1931, the younger son of Major General Edward Lawson, 4th Baron Burnham, and his wife Marie Enid Robson. He was educated at Eton and read PPE at Balliol College, Oxford.

Career

Initially working for the Cambridge Evening News, Burnham joined The Daily Telegraph prior to its 1986 takeover by Conrad Black and held the positions of general manager and deputy managing director in the 1970s and 80s.

He inherited the barony and a seat in the House of Lords upon the death of his elder brother William Lawson, 5th Baron Burnham in 1993. He had a career in the House of Lords as a Conservative defence spokesman and junior whip.^[1] He was one of the 90 hereditary peers selected to remain in the Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999.^[2]

Marriage and children

Burnham married Hilary Hunter on 31 December 1955. They had three children:^[3][4]

• Hon. Charlotte Ann Lawson (born 12 January 1960)
• Hon. Emma Lucia Lawson (born 8 August 1961)
• Harry Frederick Alan Lawson, 7th Baron Burnham (born 22 February 1968)

Death

Lord Burnham died in January 2005 at the age of 73. He was succeeded in the barony by his only son, Harry.

Arms

Coat of arms of Hugh Lawson, 6th Baron Burnham

Escutcheon Quarterly 1st & 4th Azure three bars gemel Argent over all a winged morion Or 2nd & 3rd Gules a saltire double parted and fretted Or between in fess two rams' heads couped in fess Argent. Supporters Dexter the figure of Clio the Muse of history Proper sinister the figure of Hermes vested Argent mantled Azure on the head of a winged morion on his heels wings and in his exterior hand a caduceus Or.[5] Motto Of Old I Hold

Notes

1. Pursuant to the House of Lords Act 1999.