View source for Peter Gregson (civil servant)

{{Other people|Peter Gregson}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix   =
| name               = Sir Peter Gregson
| honorific-suffix   = [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath|GCB]]
| image              =
| image_size         =
| smallimage         = <!--If this is specified, "image" should not be.-->
| alt                =
| caption            =
| order              =
| office             = [[Permanent Secretary]] of the [[Department of Trade and Industry (United Kingdom)|Department of Trade and Industry]]
| term_start         = 1989
| term_end           = 1996
| monarch            = [[Queen Elizabeth II]]
| primeminister      = [[Margaret Thatcher]] <br /> [[John Major]]
| predecessor        =
| successor          =
| order2             =
| office2            = [[Permanent Secretary]] of the [[Department of Energy (United Kingdom)|Department of Energy]]
| term_start2        = 1985
| term_end2          = 1989
| monarch2           = [[Queen Elizabeth II]]
| primeminister2     = [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| predecessor2       =
| successor2         =
<!-- Personal -->
| birth_name         = Peter Lewis Gregson
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|df=y|1936|6|28}}
| birth_place        = [[Haworth]], Yorkshire, England
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|df=y|2015|12|12|1936|6|28}}
| death_place        =
| party              =
| otherparty         =  <!--For additional political affiliations-->
| spouse             =
| partner            =  <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married-->
| relations          =
| children           =
| parents            =
| residence          =
| education          = [[Nottingham High School]]
| alma_mater         = [[Balliol College, Oxford]]
| occupation         =
| profession         =
| known_for          =
| cabinet            =
| committees         =
| portfolio          =
| religion           =
| awards             = [[Companion of the Order of the Bath|CB]] (1983) <br /> [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath|KCB]] (1988) <br /> [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath|GCB]] (1996)
<!--Military service-->
| nickname           =
| allegiance         = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| branch             = {{army|United Kingdom}}
| serviceyears       = 1959–1961
| rank               = [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|Lieutenant]]
| unit               = [[Royal Army Educational Corps]]
| commands           =
| battles            = [[Cold War]]
| mawards            =
}}
'''Sir Peter Lewis Gregson''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|GCB}} (28 June 1936 – 12 December 2015) was a British [[Civil Service (United Kingdom)|civil servant]]. He was [[Permanent Secretary]] of the [[Department of Energy (United Kingdom)|Department of Energy]] from 1985 to 1989, and of the [[Department of Trade and Industry (United Kingdom)|Department of Trade and Industry]] from 1989 until his retirement in 1996.<ref name="obit - Guardian">{{cite news|last1=Hencke|first1=David|title=Sir Peter Gregson obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/dec/29/sir-peter-gregson|accessdate=2 January 2016|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=29 December 2015}}</ref>
==Early life and education==
Gregson was born on 28 June 1936 in [[Haworth]], Yorkshire, England.<ref name="obit - Guardian" /> He was the only child born to Lillian and Walter, a local school teacher.<ref name="obit - Daily Telegraph">{{cite news|title=Sir Peter Gregson, civil servant – obituary|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/12062743/Sir-Peter-Gregson-civil-servant-obituary.html|accessdate=8 January 2016|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=21 December 2015}}</ref> In 1945, his family moved to [[Nottingham]], Nottinghamshire.<ref name="obit - Times">{{cite news|title=Sir Peter Gregson|url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/courtsocial/article4648963.ece|accessdate=8 January 2016|work=The Times|date=26 December 2015}}</ref> In 1947, he won a scholarship to [[Nottingham High School]], then an all-boys [[Private schools in the United Kingdom|private school]] in Nottingham.<ref name="obit - Guardian" /> He ended his time there as [[head boy]] of the [[sixth form]] and [[School Captain|vice-captain]] of the school.<ref name="obit - Daily Telegraph" />
Gregson won an open scholarship to study [[classics]] at [[Balliol College, Oxford]], and [[matriculated]] in 1955.<ref name="obit - Guardian" /> He achieved a [[first class honours|first]] in [[Literae Humaniores#Mods|Mods]] (Latin and Greek language and literature) in 1957, and a first in [[Literae Humaniores#Greats|Greats]] (specialising in philosophy and [[ancient history]]) in 1959.<ref name="obit - Times" /> He therefore graduated from the [[University of Oxford]] with a [[double first-class honours]] Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1959.<ref name="obit - Guardian" /><ref name="obit - Daily Telegraph" /> He was active in the [[Oxford Union]], the university [[debating society]], though he never stood for an elected office.<ref name="obit - Guardian" />
==Career==
Having achieved such a high class degree, Gregson's college tutor recommended an academic career, but only if he couldn't find an alternative. After graduating, he joined the civil service where he spent most of his career and never entered academia.<ref name="obit - Times" />
===Military service===
After university, Gregson was called up to complete his [[Conscription in the United Kingdom|National Service]].<ref name="obit - Guardian" /><ref name="obit - Daily Telegraph" /> On 7 September 1959, he was [[Commissioned officer|commissioned]] into the [[Royal Army Educational Corps]] as a [[second lieutenant]] (on probation);<ref name="LG 9 October 1959">{{London Gazette |issue= 41839 |date= 9 October 1959 |page=6421 |supp= y }}</ref> his commission was confirmed in May 1960.<ref name="LG 6 May 1960">{{London Gazette |issue= 42027 |date= 6 May 1960 |page=3298 |supp= y }}</ref> He served as an education officer attached to the [[Sherwood Foresters]].<ref name="obit - Times" /> On 1 October 1961, he was transferred to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers, thereby ending his full-time service in the [[British Army]].<ref name="LG 10 October 1961">{{London Gazette |issue= 42485 |date= 10 October 1961 |page=7352 |supp= y }}</ref> He was promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] on 7 March 1965.<ref name="LG 5 March 1965">{{London Gazette |issue= 43593 |date= 5 March 1965 |pages=2378–2379  |supp= y }}</ref>
Gregson later said that he learnt more about leadership and management during his military service than in the first few years in the civil service.<ref name="obit - Times" />
===Civil Service career===
In 1959, Gregson sat the civil service exam and scored highly enough to be selected for the elite Administrative Class of [[Civil Service (United Kingdom)|Civil Service]].<ref name="obit - Daily Telegraph" /><ref name="obit - Times" /> However, he did not start working as a civil servant immediately. Instead, he served in the [[British Army]] for two years as part of [[Conscription in the United Kingdom|National Service]].<ref name="obit - Guardian" />
In 1961, Gregson joined the [[Board of Trade]].<ref name="obit - Daily Telegraph" /> His first job was to prepare briefs for negotiations involved in Britain's first attempt to join the [[European Common Market]]; it was unsuccessful.<ref name="obit - Daily Telegraph" /><ref name="obit - Times" /> In 1963, he was appointed [[Private Secretary]] to the [[Minister of State]] for Overseas Development. During this 18-month posting, he spent his time organising and taking part in ministerial visits to 16 different countries.<ref name="obit - Times" />
==Honours==
In the [[1983 New Year Honours]], Gregson was appointed a [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] (CB) in recognition of his service as Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet Office.<ref name="LG 30 December 1982">{{London Gazette |issue= 49212 |date= 30 December 1982 |page=3 |supp= y }}</ref> In the [[1988 Queen's Birthday Honours]], he was promoted to [[Knight Commander]] of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in recognition of his service as Permanent Under Secretary Of State in the Department of Energy, and therefore granted the title ''sir''.<ref name="LG 10 June 1988">{{London Gazette |issue= 51365 |date= 10 June 1988 |page=3 |supp= y }}</ref> In the [[1996 New Year Honours]], he was promoted to a [[Knight Grand Cross]] (the highest rank) of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in recognition of his service as Permanent Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry.<ref name="LG 29 December 1995">{{London Gazette |issue= 54255 |date= 29 December 1995 |page=3 |supp= y }}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregson, Peter}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:People from Haworth]]
[[Category:People educated at Nottingham High School]]
[[Category:Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Royal Army Educational Corps officers]]
[[Category:Civil servants in the Board of Trade]]
[[Category:Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry]]
[[Category:Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for Energy]]
[[Category:20th-century British civil servants]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Yorkshire]]
[[Category:20th-century British Army personnel]]