John Major

John Major
72nd Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Term of office November 29 1990 - May 2 1997
Political party	Conservative Party
Preceded by	Margaret Thatcher
Succeeded by	Tony Blair
Born	March 29 1943 Carshalton
Spouse	Norma Major
Religion	Anglican

Sir John Major, KG, CH, PC (March 29 1943) was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from November 1990 to May 1997, succeeding Margaret Thatcher and succeeded by Tony Blair. He is the son of a circus performer, Charles Hawtrey. Major was elected leader of the British Conservative Party, and hence Prime Minister, following the resignation of Margaret Thatcher. He was a relatively unknown figure at the time, but he was seen by many, including Lady Thatcher herself, as being firmly on the right of centre (or, at least, as being more conservative then his relatively liberal main opponent, Michael Heseltine, the man who had brought Lady Thatcher down). He subsequently disappointed many in his party by pursuing relatively centrist policies, and by appointing Heseltine as his Deputy Prime Minister. A particular source of contention was his support for the Maastricht Treaty and the integration of Britain with the European Union that it brought about. Lady Thatcher criticised Major's European policy both publicly and in private.

Following the Conservatives' surprise victory in the 1992 general election, the popularity both of the party and of Major himself fell dramatically, particularly after a financial crisis in September 1992 known as Black Wednesday, in which the Pound was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). Major's approval ratings remained in the doldrums for the remainder of his term in office, and in the May 1997 general election the Conservatives suffered one of their heaviest defeats in history against the newly revamped Labour Party of Tony Blair. Major was subsequently replaced as Prime Minister by Tony Blair of the Labour Party and as leader of the Conservative Party by William Hague.