Major, John (1943-…), served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from November 1990 to May 1997. Major, a member of the Conservative Party, succeeded Margaret Thatcher and continued many of Thatcher’s policies. For example, he worked to reduce government control over the economy, and he encouraged individual enterprise.
Major led the Conservatives to an election victory in 1992, but he later became increasingly unpopular both with the public and within his own party. The British economy had developed new strengths and weaknesses under Major’s government. Telecommunications and other new areas prospered, but mining and shipbuilding faded. These changes left many workers with the wrong skills for the available jobs and aroused much discontent. Many voters also accused Major of failing to protect British interests as he sought closer ties with the European Union, an organization of European nations. Disagreements over the European Union caused divisions within Major’s own party and weakened his government. In 1997 elections, the Labour Party defeated Major and his party by a landslide.
John Major was born on March 29, 1943, in Merton, a borough of Greater London. He was the youngest of four children born to Tom Major and Gwendolyn Minny Coates. Young John left school at age 16 to work in the family ornaments business. In 1965, he took an entry-level job at a bank and worked his way up to executive positions. Major married Norma Elizabeth Johnson in 1970. They have two children. In 1979, Major entered Parliament as representative for Huntingdonshire in the House of Commons. He served in a variety of Cabinet posts that involved economic policy, including minister for social security, chief treasury secretary, and chancellor of the exchequer. In 1990, the Conservatives chose Major to replace Thatcher as prime minister and party leader.
