View source for Denis Thatcher

{{Short description|English businessman (1915–2003)}}
{{more citations needed|date= July 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific-prefix = Sir
| name             = Denis Thatcher
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|size=100%|country=GBR|Bt|MBE|TD|CStJ}}
| image            = Denis Thatcher (cropped).jpg
| alt              = Thatcher, 73, in a photograph
| known_for        = [[Spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom]] (1979{{nbnd}}1990)
| caption          = Thatcher in 1988
| spouse           = {{Plainlist|
* {{marriage|{{pslink|Margot Kempson}}|28 March 1942|1948|reason = div}}
* {{marriage|[[Margaret Thatcher|Margaret Roberts]]|13 December 1951}}
}}
| birth_name       = <!-- Parameter not needed, as birth name is identical to common name -->
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1915|5|10|df=y}}
| birth_place      = London, England
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|2003|6|26|1915|5|10|df=yes}}
| death_place      = London, England
| resting_place    = [[Royal Hospital Chelsea]]
| occupation       = Businessman
| children         = {{hlist|[[Mark Thatcher|Mark]]|[[Carol Thatcher|Carol]]}}
| education        = [[Mill Hill School]]
| party            = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| signature        = 
<!--Military service-->
| module           = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance       = United Kingdom
| branch           = [[British Army]]
| serviceyears     = 1938–1965
| rank             = [[Major (United Kingdom)|Major]]
| servicenumber    = 77306
| unit             = {{plainlist|
* [[Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment]]
* [[Royal Artillery]]}}
| battles          = {{tree list}}
* Second World War
**[[Italian campaign (World War II)|Italian campaign]]
***[[Allied invasion of Sicily]]
***[[Operation Goldflake]]{{tree list/end}}
| awards           = {{see below|{{slink||Medals and honours}}}}
}}
}}
'''Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet''', {{postnom|country=GBR|sep=,|size=small|MBE|TD|CStJ}} (10 May 1915 – 26 June 2003) was an English businessman and the husband of [[Margaret Thatcher]], who served as the first female [[British prime minister]] from 1979 to 1990; thus, he became the first male [[spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom|prime ministerial spouse]].

Thatcher was granted the [[Thatcher baronetcy]] in 1990, the only [[baronetcy]] created since 1964, and remains the most recent [[commoner]] to have been awarded a [[hereditary title]].

== Early life ==
Denis Thatcher was born on 10 May 1915 at 26 Southbrook Road, Lee, [[Lewisham]], London, as the first child of New Zealand–born British businessman Thomas Herbert "Jack" Thatcher{{sfn|Collins|2009}} (15 October 1885{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|page=18}} – 24 June 1943{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|page=39}}) and Lilian Kathleen Bird {{Citation needed span|(7 July 1889 &ndash; 25 October 1976).|date=March 2021}}{{sfn|Collins|2009}} At age eight, Denis entered a [[Preparatory school (United Kingdom)|preparatory school]] in [[Bognor Regis]] as a [[wikt:boarder|boarder]], following which he attended the [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|nonconformist]] public school [[Mill Hill School]] in [[north London]].{{sfn|Collins|2009}} At school he excelled at [[cricket]], being a left-handed [[batsman]].{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|page=25}}

Thatcher left Mill Hill School in 1933 and joined the family paint and [[preservative]]s business,{{sfn|Collins|2009}} Atlas Preservatives.<ref name=theguardian>{{cite news |last=Barker |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Barker |title=Sir Denis Thatcher |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jun/26/guardianobituaries.past |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=26 June 2003}}</ref> He also studied [[accountancy]] to improve his grasp of business,{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|page=53}} and in 1935 he was appointed works manager.{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|page=34}} He joined the [[Territorial Army (United Kingdom)|Territorial Army]] shortly after the [[Munich crisis]], as he was convinced war was imminent{{sfn|Collins|2009}}{{snd}} a view reinforced by a visit he made to [[Nazi Germany]] with his father's business in 1937.<ref name=theguardian/>

== War record ==

During the Second World War, Thatcher was commissioned as a [[second lieutenant]] into the 34th Searchlight ([[Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment]]) of the [[Royal Engineers]]. He transferred to the [[Royal Artillery]] on 1 August 1940.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34977 |supp=y|pages=6182–6184|date=22 October 1940}}</ref> During the war he was promoted to war substantive [[captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] and temporary [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]]. He served throughout the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]] and the [[Italian campaign (World War II)|Italian campaign]] and was twice [[mentioned in dispatches]], and in 1945 was appointed a [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE). The first mention in dispatches came on 11 January 1945, for service in Italy,<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=36886 |supp=y|pages=315–317|date=9 January 1945}}</ref> and the second on 29 November 1945, again for Italian service.<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=37368 |supp=y|pages=5791–5795|date=27 November 1945}}</ref>

His MBE was [[gazetted]] on 20 September 1945,<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=37274 |supp=y|page=4673 |date=18 September 1945}}</ref> and was awarded for his efforts in initiating and supporting [[Operation Goldflake]], the transfer of [[I Canadian Corps]] from Italy to the north-west [[European theatre of World War II|European theatre]] of operations. Thatcher was based in [[Marseille]], attached to HQ 203 sub-area. In the recommendation for the MBE (dated 28 March 1945), his commanding officer wrote: "Maj. Thatcher set an outstanding example of energy, initiative and drive. He deserves most of the credit for [...] the excellence of the work done."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7382145 |title= WO 373/73/1003 |publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] |format=fee may be required to view full original recommendation |access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref>

Thatcher also received the approximate French equivalent of a mention when he was cited in orders at ''[[Corps d'Armée]]'' level for his efforts in promoting smooth relations between the [[British Empire in World War II|Commonwealth military forces]] and the French civil and military authorities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7406782 |title=WO 373/185/1209 |publisher=The National Archives |format=fee may be required to view full original recommendation |access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref> He was promoted to substantive [[first lieutenant|lieutenant]] on 11 April 1945.<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=37279 |supp=y|page=4740|date=21 September 1945}}</ref> Demobilised in 1946, he returned to run the family business{{snd}} his father having died (aged 57) on 24 June 1943, when Thatcher was in Sicily. Because of army commitments, Thatcher was unable to attend the funeral.{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|p=39}}

He remained in the Territorial Army reserve of officers until reaching the age limit for service on 10 May 1965, when he retired, retaining the honorary rank of major.<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=43646 |supp=y|page=4565|date=7 May 1965}}</ref>

On 21 September 1982 he was awarded the [[Efficiency Decoration|Territorial Decoration]] (TD) for his service.<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=49114 |supp=y|page=12237|date=20 September 1982}}</ref>

== Marriages ==

Thatcher married twice, during wartime to Margot Kempson in 1942 (divorced in 1948),<ref name=theguardian/> and in 1951 to Margaret Roberts.<ref name=telegraph>{{cite news |title=Sir Denis Thatcher, Bt |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/1434154/Sir-Denis-Thatcher-Bt.html |access-date=27 March 2021 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Telegraph |date=27 Jun 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609143506/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/1434154/Sir-Denis-Thatcher-Bt.html |archive-date=2010-06-09}}</ref>

=== Margot Kempson ===
On 28 March 1942, Thatcher married Margaret Doris<ref name=telegraph/> "Margot" Kempson, the daughter of a businessman,{{sfn|Collins|2009}} at St Mary's Church in [[Monken Hadley]]. They met at an officers' dance at [[Grosvenor House]] the year before.{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|pp=49&ndash;50}}

Thatcher and his first wife never lived together.<ref name=theguardian/> Their married life became confined to snatched weekends and irregular leaves as Thatcher was often abroad during the war. When Thatcher returned to England after being demobilised in 1946, his wife told him she had met someone else and wanted a divorce.{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|p=51}}

Thatcher was so traumatised by the event that he completely refused to talk about his first marriage or the separation, even to his daughter, as she states in her 1996 biography of him.{{sfn|Thatcher|1996}}{{Page needed|date=March 2021}} Thatcher's two children found out about his first marriage only in 1976 (by which time, their mother had become [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]]) and then only when the media revealed it.{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|pp=46&ndash;47}}

=== Margaret Thatcher ===

{{See also|Margaret Thatcher#Post-Oxford career: 1947–1951}}
[[File:Thatchers and Bushes at Chequers.jpg|thumb|upright|Denis and Margaret Thatcher with US vice president [[George H. W. Bush|George Bush]] and second lady [[Barbara Bush]] at [[Chequers]] in 1984]]
In February 1949, at a Paint Trades Federation function in [[Dartford]], he met Margaret Hilda Roberts, a [[chemist]] and newly selected [[parliamentary candidate]]. When she met Denis for the first time, she described him as "not a very attractive creature" and "very reserved but quite nice".<ref>{{cite web|title=A side of Margaret Thatcher we've never seen|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/margaret-thatcher/10006410/A-side-of-Margaret-Thatcher-weve-never-seen.html|first=Charles|last=Moore|author-link=Charles Moore, Baron Moore of Etchingham|work=The Telegraph|date=19 April 2013|access-date=25 July 2017}}</ref> They married on 13 December 1951, at [[Wesley's Chapel]] in [[City Road]], London; the Robertses were [[Methodist]]s. Margaret Thatcher was [[1975 Conservative Party leadership election|elected Leader of the Conservative Party]] in 1975. She went on to win the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979 general election]] to become the first female prime minister in British history. Denis became the first [[Spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom|husband of a British prime minister]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/history-and-tour/margaret-thatcher-2/ |title=History of Baroness Margaret Thatcher |publisher=UK Government |access-date=31 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805111356/http://www.number10.gov.uk/history-and-tour/margaret-thatcher-2/ |archive-date=2011-08-05 |url-status=}}</ref>

In 1953, they had twin children ([[Carol Thatcher|Carol]] and [[Mark Thatcher|Mark]]), who were born on 15 August at [[Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital]] in [[Hammersmith]], seven weeks premature.{{sfn|Cosgrave|1978|page=111}} Thatcher was watching the deciding Test of the [[1953 Ashes series#Fifth Test at The Oval|1953 Ashes series]] at the time of the twins' birth.{{sfn|Blundell|2013|page=13}}  They had watched the [[Coronation of Elizabeth II|Coronation]] earlier in the year from [[Parliament Square]].{{sfn|Thatcher|1995|p=78}}

Not long after the [[1964 United Kingdom general election|1964 general election]], Thatcher suffered a [[nervous breakdown]] which put a severe strain on his marriage.{{sfn|Cannadine|2017}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Margaret Thatcher: Sir Denis 'contemplated divorce' after he suffered a nervous breakdown in 1960s |last=Rayner |first=Gordon |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/margaret-thatcher/10011297/Margaret-Thatcher-Sir-Denis-contemplated-divorce-after-he-suffered-a-nervous-breakdown-in-1960s.html |work=The Telegraph |date=23 April 2013 |access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> The breakdown was probably caused by the increasing pressure of running the family business, caring for his relatives, and his wife's preoccupation with her political career, which left him lonely and exhausted.{{sfn|Cannadine|2017}} Thatcher sailed to South Africa and stayed there for two months to recuperate.{{sfn|Cannadine|2017}} His wife's biographer [[David Cannadine]] described it as "the greatest crisis of their marriage", but immediately after, he recovered and returned home, he maintained a happy marriage for the rest of his life.{{sfn|Cannadine|2017}}

This second marriage for Thatcher led to the future prime minister being sometimes referred to as "Mrs Denis Thatcher" in such sources as [[Preselection|selection]] minutes,{{sfn|Ramsden|1996|page=117}} travel itineraries,<ref name=":0">{{harvnb|ps=.|Blundell|2008|pages={{pli|https://archive.org/details/margaretthatcher0000blun/page/59 |59}}{{closed access}}–60}}</ref> and society publications such as [[Queen (magazine)|''Queen'']], even after she was elected a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]].<ref name=":0" />{{sfn|Hodgkinson|1988|page=95}} As Margaret's political career progressed, she preferred to be known only as "Mrs Thatcher".

According to [[John Campbell (biographer)|John Campbell]], a biographer of his wife, "their marriage was more a partnership of mutual convenience than a romance",{{sfn|Campbell|2000|page=88}} quoting their daughter Carol in her biography of Denis:

{{quote|If marriage is either a takeover or a merger, then my parents enjoyed the latter. There was a great deal of common ground and a tacit [[wikt:laissez faire#Adjective|''laissez faire'']] agreement that they would get on with their own interests and activities. There was no possessiveness, nor any expectation that one partner's career should take precedence.{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|pages=91–92}} }}

== Business career ==
[[File:Denis Thatcher 1982.jpg|thumb|upright|Thatcher in 1982]]
Thatcher was already a wealthy man when he met Margaret, and he financed her training as a [[barrister]], and a home in Chelsea, London.{{sfn|Collins|2009}} He also bought a large house in [[Lamberhurst, Kent]], in 1965.{{sfn|Collins|2009}} His firm employed 200 people by 1957.{{sfn|Collins|2009}}

Thatcher became managing director of his family's firm Atlas Preservatives in 1947 and chairman in 1951, leading its overseas expansion.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} By the early 1960s, he found being in sole control of the family company difficult.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} This, his wife's political career, and their desire for financial security caused Thatcher to sell Atlas to [[Castrol]] in 1965 for £530,000 (£{{Inflation|UK|530000|1965|r=-5|fmt=c|cursign=£}} today). He continued to run Atlas and received a seat on Castrol's board; after [[Burmah Oil]] took over Castrol in 1966, Thatcher became a senior divisional director, managing the planning and control department.{{sfn|Scott-Smith|2003}}{{quote needed|date=March 2021}} He retired from Burmah in June 1975,{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} four months after his wife won the Conservative Party leadership election.

In addition to being a director of Burmah Oil, Thatcher was a director and deputy chairman of Attwoods from July 1983 until January 1994.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1989-07-05|title=Denis Thatcher's Company in Alleged Bribery Dealing|url=https://www.afr.com/politics/denis-thatchers-company-in-alleged-bribery-dealing-19890705-k3i6l|access-date=2022-10-27|website=Australian Financial Review|language=en}}</ref><ref>[https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/xCuFSYuDmrFO7xU5ikpOpYfPWOfX4MKkbF4JWdeFTxc/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3KO6ISEHX%2F20221026%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20221026T071708Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEAsaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJGMEQCIBjhA%2BpdEURVV8Ghsxx5GE3h3gul15U01vZTUPOe7Li4AiB9TauCkIFMI7gK8%2B3rqDjC8ow51k3gqxJ1%2BcI8Fjpo2SrWBAjk%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F8BEAQaDDQ0OTIyOTAzMjgyMiIMGsf2iZfjuHPckUstKqoEi6SXFynPRjiyfGtKpWIOd3Pj%2BrB63eHZ2xWpi8gDGebT5W1jSgSEccSQB6ZfV07k1KdqbAKDUF2%2Ft4k7IQHEA2GdeWx4J16RwD9fLOTzffAbM%2B0a2y5cKJ8nviVYICGZMrXdqzyRpd7oFuiqf%2Bc5oN7tnpF1L4JdDxm%2BI5gYtzDxA%2FCdg95Wtrnk5L3hD0ZzHqnQWZ1InsdnpLWr4d4mWgVjTzo6gyxCGaaVncQOM%2BhKRFQvvyp9Y617CaD54EOeSsOvT9kNvRdDnnrubber%2BpPMmgHezhtB3hivbFJGJF1cbrLZLoIc5nysPJS5NGsl31LPyNvn7chS%2B4mgv1TRB4tuhhbDW60y608hLVnhOoibcq7HGDDephfawmQX6n6Sopqd8H8AQRQbi6aj6BNI%2Fw6pPEftBcVqdMd8AZhpIksh4gXAdZ91CZgs07Be8wypnfqDIUHYtRxGUswmTLyONAvayS%2F72kWYhEjEf9fcz95C8ayrzcNXkuxkZWme71HhraOdf%2B7UVdjjcLtMchSAjSAsb1fxjkf9bHhBJpo05F3eDRlx8A3aJOVFuY%2BkBQYqsqq5nl7EbmIaHv%2BtBi%2BlUVP3LkG91MGAI222i1fepPSUuXSv1K0IIKSOVF6urFF%2F92C4e442w9xdWnJaNEcYxrQi9OHitqCl3JulirkxGldEfBqXgtUblzUXsWGoK6GqBQfmyGymuVYfBPbtOGxb%2FQTfz6P8DBm5oRowoLjimgY6qgFCfz66qs7VaNhSiX3oesnB8Xuh50%2F0scR%2BiUgUZAXCcW8sOleyWuIvcg1RjBp70LHmPBg16sJ2EiWjZGzPWt8YyAsxve8XvJ9xCAM0G7Av74%2FAmN5oVvMUo5XjOtlGZXlLf7JFg9G5TrzlwLPxtIof9wWBT3T7kRFZ3kZ7y0A4%2FChyAR9k5gq%2F9Dl%2FmnIrd%2F4Nbi9w7SgPR17xWZez2gFcbwkddDQo1Jc1tA%3D%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies_house_document.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=67139a9f15d25eb4306ad13fd255c3be2b707f2cf1255bb9b40d2ceb1e9b159c Annual accounts for year ended 31 July 1994] Attwoods 5 December 1994 page 14{{dead|date=October 2022}}</ref> He was also a director of Quinton Hazell and a consultant to [[Amec]] and [[CSX]].<ref>[https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/guWBuIaa45FJW1fWv9MB1jmc7X5Ud5xa3pUsMmUSMIc/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3D3GECL4I%2F20221026%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20221026T070606Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEA4aCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJGMEQCICJ4cJtBhjZd23Gdm3e%2BjIzcbuNm0RAIfB4f3kEy9BybAiAVGqtG5rcZiHBs6F7Svk4aGV3TV1iDgl3BCJaMAGkOpyrWBAjn%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F8BEAQaDDQ0OTIyOTAzMjgyMiIMaHOG89svuUWAtxIuKqoEGJMSD4%2FS5DT%2FG6POXbp7Dt1cXTLa2B%2FIp7nl9%2FCG8oOROUsQ69Xom0eYxGBBNvbvyIMhs3RGK7uLDX1dnrOR6izAdsVUsiafCc1%2F77DiuWZtZ0QAFZBcyONX7ARe8aE8sjVuuG42fhZM%2BHSBRMFAsh4mBduUKuvFp4PtlXakGHSao5RdP9qjssC666Ig%2B0NcQCE9Dw6uZ3Flmo7jpNOQRaqVsMR5Lv0TKykkdVK3qCf1Edm8bJkquNcQty02rObFl1P6ItrAgI%2FQ%2B5UkhQTBUsJ7qbMI6d4blvrb86IBNFalNPttiJHGo%2FYqv%2F6ssxPVpz70fSnCujfjO1WToL6DCn4Jq8I%2Fwv%2FHdDDfSsNDixiRii%2FcidKd7%2BYd%2FvMjlb74xXzsWAkSXm6oTiyl3pTHCaki1o4J6Ohy%2Fq64lkBLQQIyao9I0L0OBnIWVItn%2FqNQpVSpPEE9JYoA6EZ3yy2ZLnmzCYzqPcYplNvkLQjTpIzolNdPOoXsNrCsi2h5dVJIF87CxqJhy4N4lMAPaIIpGjEYW3rLF%2FwoiPv9tudp6S3VJoVt2emp0M%2FHVg9yRXmQri4RqAX4xmgTkDP7j52Te3k47ODev%2BxgjWKaDqWVR1FknLxtlbNZ26pQ3WVdt3QjWndSnrt3EO1xq25mgiv3lddRmkBGBsscD7O9wlJCLjd%2FQRCf9nEXiq87j%2FEG3UZA94%2BNgsAXeGEsU%2BPFnOGPDsMCeTiwfN7Q7Nkw1ZTjmgY6qgFx2wJQ7hTSHsaPp6O9tG30IZcJBEpQVa6wziyRepf%2BUxQUdQ9hd1%2BM1pJxJn3UO3%2FbtCZlZV0n%2BNbN%2FnDfRBS%2F1zwyYFskSgvxx3xYB4JBUHhe0nZlu5ioQjZTI2Cs0Jjlu3tFf6SqL3IwEFW0XSiFmERAu%2BEJipUfLcT9X3VK8ypFCmpEkht9HVrRswtDl9HCVGmAzDahufMd%2B0ob0qSz1L79Yx3rkiK75w%3D%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies_house_document.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=fd32656c235eed1858b6653189133e55910dd2f97c32537f2cfaf4d9470dfc1a Annual accounts for year ended 31 July 1992] Attwoods 2 December 1992 page 9{{dead|date=October 2022}}</ref>

His wife's biographer [[Robin Harris (author)|Robin Harris]] concludes:{{quote|He was not, in fact, a particularly good businessman: he had inherited shares in a family firm which he managed, and he was lucky enough to sell his interest on terms that gave him a large pay-off and a good salary to boot. But it is significant that he left a very modest legacy at his death. This was because, throughout his life, and despite his training as an accountant and his eagle-eyed scrutiny of the [[London Stock Exchange|Stock Exchange]], he was a poor investor. Once his wife had become Prime Minister, and even after her retirement, it was Denis who lived off her and not vice versa. He matched [[Alfred Roberts|Alf Roberts]] in his dislike of spending his own money. More generally, while (in contrast to certain of his successors) he did not raise eyebrows about exploiting his position, he certainly made the most of it. He was a celebrity exclusively because of whom he had married.{{sfn|Harris|2013|page=45}} }}

== Public life and perceptions ==
[[File:Denis Thatcher Nancy Reagan 1988.jpg|thumb|Thatcher and US first lady [[Nancy Reagan]] at Downing Street in 1988]]

Thatcher refused press interviews and made only brief speeches. When he did speak to the press, he called his wife "The Boss". Margaret Thatcher often acknowledged her husband's support. In her autobiography, she wrote: "I could never have been Prime Minister for more than 11 years without Denis by my side." Thatcher saw his role as helping her survive the stress of the job, which he urged her to resign on the tenth anniversary of her becoming prime minister in 1989,{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} sensing that otherwise she would be forced out.

In an interview with ''[[The Times]]'' in October 1970, Thatcher said: "I don't pretend that I'm anything but an honest-to-God right-winger{{sndash}}those are my views and I don't care who knows 'em."<ref>{{cite interview |newspaper=The Times |title=[Denis Thatcher] |interviewer=Kirsten Cubitt |page=7 |date=5 October 1970}}</ref> His public image was shaped by the satirical "[[Dear Bill]]" columns appearing since 1979 in ''[[Private Eye]]'', which portrayed him as a "[[Gin|juniper]]-sozzled, rightwing, golf-obsessed halfwit", and Thatcher found it useful to play along with this image to avoid allegations of unduly influencing his wife in political matters.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pilkington|first1=Edward|title=Dear Bill: gin-soaked halfwit was all a ruse|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1996/feb/26/past.fromthearchive|access-date=13 July 2016|newspaper=The Guardian|date=26 February 1996}}</ref>

Given his professional background, Thatcher served as an advisor on financial matters, warning Margaret about the poor condition of [[British Leyland]] after reviewing its books. He often insisted that she avoid overwork, to little avail, sometimes pleading, "Bed, woman!"<ref name="runciman20130606">{{cite news | url=http://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n11/david-runciman/rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat | title=Rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat | journal=[[London Review of Books]] | date=6 June 2013 | access-date=11 June 2013 | last=Runciman |first=David |author-link=David Runciman}}</ref> They otherwise usually kept their careers separate; an exception was when Thatcher accompanied his wife on a 1967 visit to the United States sponsored by the [[International Visitor Leadership Program]].{{sfn|Scott-Smith|2003}}

Thatcher was consistent in his strong opposition to the [[Capital punishment in the United Kingdom|death penalty]], calling it "absolutely awful" and "barbaric". He said that he was against it because of innocent people being wrongly hanged and because juries could also be afraid to convict for fear of making a mistake.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} Like his wife, Thatcher was consistently [[anti-socialist]]. He told his daughter in 1995 that he would have banned trade unions altogether in Britain.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} He had low regard for the [[BBC]], thinking it was biased against his wife and her government, as well as unpatriotic. In his most famous outburst about the corporation, he claimed his wife had been "stitched up by bloody BBC [[wikt:poof|poofs]] and [[Trotskyism|Trots]]" when [[Diana Gould–Margaret Thatcher exchange|she was questioned by a member of the public]] about the sinking of the {{ship|ARA|General Belgrano}} on ''[[Nationwide (TV programme)|Nationwide]]'' in 1983.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1518975.stm | title= TV's top 10 tantrums | work=BBC News | date=31 August 2001 |access-date=26 July 2009 }}</ref>

Thatcher was reported by New Zealand (NZ) broadcaster and former diplomat [[Chris Laidlaw]]—at the time NZ High Commissioner to Zimbabwe—as leaning towards him during a [[Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]], asking "So, what do you think the [[Fuzzy-Wuzzy|fuzzy wuzzies]] are up to?"<ref>{{cite interview |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/2551960/tim-bale-thatcher-s-life-and-legacy.asx |last=Bale |first=Tim |subject-link=Tim Bale |title=Thatcher's Life and Legacy |date=14 April 2013 |interviewer=[[RNZ National]] |access-date=16 April 2013}}</ref>

In December 1990, following the resignation of his wife as prime minister, it was announced that Thatcher would be created a [[baronet]], (the first and only baronetcy created since 1964).<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=52360|page=19066|date=11 December 1990}}</ref> The award was gazetted in February 1991, giving his title as [[Thatcher baronets|Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet]], of [[Scotney]] in the [[County of Kent]].<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=52443|page=1993|date=7 February 1991}}</ref> Thus, his wife was entitled to style herself ''Lady Thatcher'' while retaining her seat in the [[House of Commons]]; however, she made it known that she preferred to remain addressed as "Mrs Thatcher",<ref>{{cite news |last=Tuohy |first=William |author-link=William Tuohy |title=It's Now 'Lady Thatcher,' but She'll Stick With 'Mrs.' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-08-mn-5367-story.html |access-date=5 March 2017 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |location=London |date=8 December 1990}}</ref> and would not use the style. She was created a [[life peer]]ess as Baroness Thatcher (Lady Thatcher in her own right) shortly after she retired from the Commons in [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992]].

In July 1991, Thatcher was created a [[Commander of the Order of St John]]; his wife was also made a Dame of the order.<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=52590|page=10029|date=1 July 1991}}</ref>

== Illness and death ==
[[File:MTgrave1.jpeg|thumb|Plaques on the graves of Denis and Margaret Thatcher at the [[Royal Hospital Chelsea]] (pictured in 2014)]]

In the autumn of 1992, Thatcher was diagnosed with [[prostate cancer]],{{sfn|Moore|2019|page=788}} but it was caught early. He responded well to treatment.

On 17 January 2003, Thatcher underwent a six-hour [[Coronary artery bypass surgery|heart-bypass operation]] and [[aortic valve]] operation at a [[Harley Street]] clinic. He had complained of breathlessness for several weeks before Christmas 2002, and the problem was diagnosed in early January. He left the clinic on 28 January 2003 and appeared to recover fully after recuperation. Thatcher returned home on 14 February and visited his son Mark in South Africa in April, but in early June, he again complained of breathlessness and listlessness. Lady Thatcher's staff also thought he looked unwell, and on 13 June, he was admitted to the [[Royal Brompton Hospital]] for further tests.<ref name="irishtimes.com">{{Cite news|title=Sir Denis Thatcher dies in London aged 88|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/sir-denis-thatcher-dies-in-london-aged-88-1.484657|access-date=2020-10-12|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=26 June 2003}}</ref> Nothing wrong was found with his heart but terminal [[pancreatic cancer]] was diagnosed,{{sfn|Harris|2013|page=426}} along with fluid in his lungs. He was told nothing could be done for him, and after seven days there, on 20 June, he was transferred to the [[Lister Hospital, Chelsea|Lister Hospital]].<ref name="irishtimes.com" /> He lost consciousness on 24 June<ref name="Telegraph2003">{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Colin |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1434373/I-was-holding-Lady-Thatchers-hand-and-she-was-holding-Deniss-when-he-died.-There-were-no-final-words.html |title='I was holding Lady Thatcher's hand, and she was holding Denis's when he died. There were no final words' |date=29 June 2003 |work=The Telegraph |access-date=2 December 2019}}</ref> and never regained it. He died on the morning of 26 June, at the age of 88.<ref name="Telegraph2003" />

His funeral service took place on 3 July 2003 at the chapel of the [[Royal Hospital Chelsea]] in London, followed by a cremation at [[Mortlake Crematorium]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mortlakecrematorium.org/downloads/BROCHURE.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050314225941/http://www.mortlakecrematorium.org/downloads/BROCHURE.pdf |title=Notable dead at Mortlake |publisher=Mortlake Crematorium |archive-date=14 March 2005}}</ref> in [[Richmond, London]]. On 30 October, a memorial service was held at [[Westminster Abbey]]. His ashes were buried under a white marble marker just outside the Royal Hospital in Chelsea.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/margaret-thatcher/9980312/Margaret-Thatcher-Dont-waste-money-on-a-flypast-at-my-funeral.html |title= Margaret Thatcher: 'Don't waste money on a flypast at my funeral' |work = The Telegraph |location = London |date= 8 April 2013 |access-date=2021-03-21 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> After [[Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher|his wife's death in 2013]], her ashes were buried near his.<ref name="Telegraph-20130913">{{cite news|title= Baroness Thatcher's ashes laid to rest|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/margaret-thatcher/10341402/Baroness-Thatchers-ashes-laid-to-rest.html|date= 28 September 2013|work= The Telegraph|access-date=2021-03-21 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="BBC-intere">{{cite news|title= Margaret Thatcher's ashes laid to rest at Royal Hospital Chelsea|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24316701|date= 28 September 2013|work= BBC News |access-date=2021-03-21}}</ref>

== Profiles ==

=== ''Married to Maggie'' ===
Produced by his daughter Carol,<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Married to Maggie: The Denis and Margaret Thatcher Story |asin=B00GGTBVGQ |via=[[Amazon Prime Video]] |year=2003}}</ref> Thatcher's single public interview {{Citation needed span|(which took place in October 2002)|date=April 2021}} was made into a documentary film titled ''Married to Maggie'',<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Married to Maggie: Denis Thatcher's Story |interviewer=Carol Thatcher |publisher=[[Channel 4]] |date=3 Aug 2003 |type=Film |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b899a0e29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423013539/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b899a0e29 |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 April 2021 |access-date=2021-04-23 |via=the [[BFI]]}}</ref> broadcast after his death.<ref name=theguardian.com/> In it he revealed that the spouses he liked were [[Raisa Gorbacheva]], [[Nancy Reagan]] and [[Barbara Bush]].<ref name=theguardian.com>{{cite web |last=Banks-Smith |first=Nancy |author-link=Nancy Banks-Smith |title=Stand by your ma'am |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/aug/04/broadcasting.ourcritics |work=The Guardian |access-date=22 April 2021 |date=4 August 2003 |quote=I liked Raisa Gorbachev... I liked Barbara Bush... I liked Nancy Reagan.}}</ref> He called his wife's successor, [[John Major]], "a ghastly prime minister", saying that "[i]t would have been a [...] very good thing" had he lost the [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]]. He added that he thought his wife was "the best prime minister since [[Churchill]]."<ref name=theguardian.com/>

=== ''Below the Parapet'' ===
{{citeref|style=plain|Thatcher|1996|''Below the Parapet''}} (1996) is the biography by his daughter Carol. In it, he said that politics as a profession or way of life did not appeal to him.{{sfn|Thatcher|1996}}{{Page needed|date=April 2021}} World leaders he got on with included [[George H. W. Bush]],{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|p=252}} [[F. W. de Klerk]],{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|p=231}} [[Hussein of Jordan]]{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|p=176}} and [[Mikhail Gorbachev]],{{sfn|Thatcher|1996}}{{Page needed|date=April 2021}} whilst he disliked [[Indira Gandhi]] and [[Sir Sonny Ramphal]].{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|p=211}} Thatcher admitted that he was not sure where the Falkland Islands were until they were [[1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands|invaded in 1982]].{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|p=188}}

== Medals and honours ==
Thatcher was awarded the following [[Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom|medals and honours]]:

{| style="margin: auto;"
| [[File:Baronet's Badge ribbon.png|x30px|alt=Baronetcy]]
| [[File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.svg|x30px|alt=Member of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division)]]
| [[File:St John Order Ribbon (UK).gif|x30px|alt=Commander of the Order of St John]]
|}
{| style="margin: auto;"
| [[File:Ribbon - Efficiency Decoration (TAVR).png|x30px|alt=Territorial Decoration]]
| [[File:Ribbon - War Medal & MiD.png|x30px|alt=War Medal 1939–1945 with Mention in Dispatches Oakleaf]]
| [[File:Italy Star BAR.svg|x30px|alt=Italy Star]]
| [[File:39-45 Star BAR.svg|x30px|alt=1939–1945 Star]]
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! Year
! Ribbon
! Appointment
! Letters
|-
| rowspan="4" |1945
| [[File:Ribbon - War Medal & MiD.png|40px|border|class=noviewer]]
! scope="row" | [[War Medal 1939–1945]] with [[Mention in Dispatches]] Oakleaf
| rowspan="3" {{n/a}}
|-
| [[File:Italy Star BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]]
! scope="row" | [[Italy Star]]
|-
| [[File:39-45 Star BAR.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]]
! scope="row" | [[1939–1945 Star]]
|-
| [[File:Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.png|40px|border|class=noviewer]]
! scope="row" | [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (Military Division)
| MBE
|-
| 1982
| [[File:Ribbon - Efficiency Decoration (TAVR).png|40px|border|class=noviewer]]
! scope="row" | [[Efficiency Decoration|Territorial Decoration]]
| TD
|-
| 1990
| [[File:Baronet's Badge ribbon.png|40px|border|class=noviewer]]
! scope="row" | [[Baronet]]cy
| Bt
|-
| 1991
| [[File:Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg|40px|border|class=noviewer]]
! scope="row" | [[Commander of the Order of St John]]
| CStJ
|}

{{Infobox COA wide
|name = Sir Denis Thatcher, Bt
|image = Coat of Arms of Denis Thatcher.svg
|crest = A demi-lion rampant Or within a circlet of New Zealand ferns Argent, holding between the fore-paws a pair of shears proper.{{sfn|Debrett's|2000}}{{Page needed|date=April 2021}}
|escutcheon = Gules, two chevrons Or between three crosses moline Argent. On a chief Azure, between two fleurs-de-lis Argent, a mural crown Or masoned Gules.{{sfn|Debrett's|2000}}{{Page needed|date=April 2021}}}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Works cited ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book
  | last        = Blundell
  | first       = John
  | author-link = John Blundell (economist)
  | title       = Margaret Thatcher: A Portrait of the Iron Lady
  | url         = https://archive.org/details/margaretthatcher0000blun
  | url-access  = registration
  | year        = 2008
  | publisher   = Algora
  | isbn        = 978-0-87586-632-1
  }}
* {{cite book
  | editor-last  = Blundell
  | editor-first = John
  | title        = Remembering Margaret Thatcher: Commemorations, Tributes and Assessments
  | url          = {{GBurl|id=4MYn9j-gftAC}}
  | url-access   = limited
  | year         = 2013
  | publisher    = Algora
  | isbn         = 978-1-62894-017-6
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last        = Campbell
  | first       = John
  | author-link = John Campbell (biographer)
  | year        = 2000
  | title       = Margaret Thatcher: The Grocer's Daughter
  | volume      = 1
  | publisher   = Pimlico
  | isbn        = 978-0-7126-7418-8
  }}
* {{cite ODNB
  | id          = 106415
  | title       = Thatcher [''née'' Roberts], Margaret Hilda, Baroness Thatcher (1925–2013), prime minister
  | first       = David
  | last        = Cannadine
  | author-link = David Cannadine
  | year        = 2017
  }}
* {{cite ODNB
  | last  = Collins
  | first = Christopher
  | title = Thatcher, Sir Denis, first baronet (1915–2003), businessman and prime ministerial consort
  | year  = 2009
  | url   = https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-90063/version/1
  | id    = 90063
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last        = Cosgrave
  | first       = Patrick
  | author-link = Patrick Cosgrave
  | title       = Margaret Thatcher: {{uc:a}} Tory and {{uc:h}}er {{uc:p}}arty
  | year        = 1978
  | publisher   = Hutchinson
  | isbn        = 978-0-09-131380-7
  | oclc        = 1057923247
  }}
* {{cite book
  | author      = Debrett's
  | author-link = Debrett's
  | date        = 2000
  | title       = Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last        = Harris
  | first       = Robin
  | author-link = Robin Harris (author)
  | year        = 2013
  | title       = Not for Turning: The Life of Margaret Thatcher
  | url         = {{GBurl|id=boeSY977ywsC}}
  | url-access  = limited
  | publisher   = Transworld Publishers
  | isbn        = 978-1-4481-2738-2
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last        = Hodgkinson
  | first       = Liz
  | author-link = Liz Hodgkinson
  | title       = Unholy Matrimony: The Case for Abolishing Marriage
  | url         = {{GBurl|id=CA3aAAAAMAAJ}}
  | url-access  = limited
  | year        = 1988
  | publisher   = Columbus
  | isbn        = 978-0-86287-421-6
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last        = Moore
  | first       = Charles
  | author-link = Charles Moore, Baron Moore of Etchingham
  | year        = 2019
  | title       = Margaret Thatcher: Herself Alone
  | volume      = 3
  | url         = {{GBurl|id=0dKXDwAAQBAJ}}
  | url-access  = limited
  | publisher   = Penguin Books
  | isbn        = 978-0-241-32475-2
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last       = Ramsden
  | first      = John
  | author-link = John Ramsden (historian)
  | title      = The Winds of Change: Macmillan to Heath, 1957–1975
  | url        = {{GBurl|id=bXqKAAAAMAAJ}}
  | year       = 1996
  | publisher  = Longman
  | isbn       = 978-0-582-27570-6
  }}
* {{cite journal
  | last        = Scott-Smith
  | first       = Giles
  | author-link = Giles Scott-Smith
  | year        = 2003
  | title       = 'Her Rather Ambitious Washington Program': Margaret Thatcher's International Visitor Program Visit to the United States in 1967
  | journal     = British Contemporary History
  | volume      = 17
  | issue       = 4
  | pages       = 65–86
  | doi         = 10.1080/13619460308565458
  | s2cid       = 143466586
  | issn        = 1743-7997
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last        = Thatcher
  | first       = Carol
  | author-link = Carol Thatcher
  | title       = Below the Parapet: The Biography of Denis Thatcher
  | year        = 1996
  | publisher   = HarperCollins
  | isbn        = 978-0-00-255605-7
  | url         = https://archive.org/details/belowparapetbiog00that
  | url-access  = registration
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last       = Thatcher
  | first      = Margaret
  | title      = The Path to Power
  | date       = 1995
  | publisher  = HarperCollins
  | location   = New York
  | isbn       = 978-0-06-017270-1
  | url        = https://archive.org/details/pathtopower00that
  | url-access = registration
  }}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Denis Thatcher}}
*[http://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_T01.html#Thatcher_D British Army Officers 1939−1945]
* {{Webarchive |title=In pictures (BBC News Online) |url=//web.archive.org/web/20030629023046/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/photo_gallery/3022450.stm }}
* {{IMDb name|0857116}}
* {{Webarchive |nolink=1 |title=Grave on the turf of the Margaret Thatcher Infirmary (image/jpeg) |url=//web.archive.org/web/20170307123551/http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4138/4804918960_1b4201ce2c_z.jpg}}

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{{Spouses of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom}}
{{Margaret Thatcher}}
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