The Rt Hon Sir John Major, KG CH

Short Bio

Sir John joined the British Parliament in 1979. After joining the government in 1983, he took up the post of Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 1987. Two years later, Sir John was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and, in October of the same year, Chancellor of the Exchequer. He served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1997. Sir John announced his resignation from the House of Commons at the UK General Election in May 2001. Later that year, the Queen appointed him a Companion of Honour in recognition of his initiation of the Northern Ireland Peace Process. Sir John became a Knight of The Most Noble Order of the Garter in 2005 and was awarded the Grand Cordon of The Order of the Rising Sun by the Emperor of Japan in 2012. Since leaving the British Parliament, Sir John has served on the bureau of several international bodies and is Chairman of numerous charitable organisations in the UK as well as worldwide. Since 2011, Sir John has served as Chairman of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust - a Commonwealth initiative established to create an enduring legacy of Queen Elizabeth II's 60-year reign.