John Goodwin
 | |
| 8th Prime Minister of Ibagli | |
|---|---|
| Terms: | 30 August 1994–20 August 2004 18 November 2006–3 March 2011 |
| Party Affiliation | Conservative Party |
| Preceded By | Bradley Hunter Roger Pollack |
| Succeeded By | Vincent McNeese Amelia Pietersen |
| Born | 30 January 1940: London |
| Spouse | Emily LeVeque |
The Right Honourable Sir John Goodwin, OIM, GCRI, CH (b. 30 January 1940) was the Prime Minister of Ibagli from 1994 to 2004 and from 2006 to 2011. He also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1985 to 1989, the Government House Leader from May to November 1989, and the Minister of Defence from January to February 2006. He was the leader of the Conservative Party from 1989 to 2005 and from 2006 to 2011.
Early Life
He was born on 30 January 1940 in London. His family moved to Ibagli in 1947, taking up residence in Crofton. He attended Exeter, Thistledowne, and Cambridge University, receiving a doctorate in economics. From 1974 to 1976 he was a professor at Thistledowne.
He married Emily LeVeque, the daughter of Liberal Prime Minister Henry LeVeque in 1981.
Member of Parliament
He was first elected to the House of Commons in the the 1976 Election. He lost his seat in the 1977 Election, but returned to the house in 1978 in a by-election.
Cabinet Minister
In 1985, he was chosen to be Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Charles Forrester. After the death of Forrester in 1989, he was appointed to the additional position of Government House Leader in the short-lived government of Thomas Harlington.
Conservative Leadership
In the 1989 Election, Harlington lost his seat in the House, and resigned as the leader of the Conservative Party. Goodwin was appointed to be the interim leader of the party. Goodwin was elected leader of the party in the first round of the 1990 leadership election.
Prime Minister
The Conservative Party won the 1994 Election, and Goodwin was appointed Prime Minister.
In the 1999 Election, the party won the highest number of seats in the House of Commons since 1963.
In 2003, he introduced a bill that prevented the High Court of Appeals from hearing cases related to the constitutionality of laws prevent same-sex marriage. The bill was successful, but was overturned by the McNeese administration in 2004.
Cabinet
1994–1999
1999–2004
Leadership Challenge
After the Conservative Party lost the 2004 General Election, Goodwin faced a leadership challenge mounted by Conservative backbencher Clinton Roser. Roser narrowly won the 2005 leadership election.
From January to February 2006 he served as Minister of Defence in Marcus Smallegan's short-lived administration.
Return to Power
On 27 May 2006, he announced that he would challenge the leadership of Roser, blaming Roser for the breakup of the party and the subsequent poor showing in the January 2006 General Election. His campaign was successful.
In the November 2006 General Election, the Conservatives won a majority in the House of Commons. Two days later, he was appointed Prime Minister.
Cabinet
Retirement
In September 2010, Goodwin announced that his third term would be his last as Prime Minister. He did not give any timeline for his retirement, but said that he intended that a new leader of the Conservative Party be in place by the next election. On February 3, 2011, he announced his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party. Minister of Home Affairs Amelia Pietersen was elected by the Conservative Party to succeed him on March 1. A retirement dinner, attended by Governor-General Sir Steven Spell and other officials, was held at 1 East Coronation Street on March 2, and Goodwin tendered his resignation to the Governor-General on March 3.
Quotes
- 'It is a very sad day indeed when the simple expiry of a contract can take an entire people from a free and democratic society into the darkness of absolutism.'
- Commenting on the transfer of Hong Kong to the Peoples' Republic of China
Honours
- Order of Ibaglian Merit - Member (2011)
- Royal Ibaglian Order - Knight Grand Companion (2006)
- Order of the Companions of Honour - Member (2013)
- Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977)
- Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002)
- Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012)
- Semicentennial Medal (2005)
- Order of Brilliant Star (Republic of China) - Special Grand Cordon (1995)
Shorthand Titles
- John Goodwin (1940–1976)
- John Goodwin, MP (1976–1977)
- John Goodwin (1977–1978)
- John Goodwin, MP (1978–1985)
- The Honourable John Goodwin, MP (1985–1994)
- The Right Honourable John Goodwin, MP (1994–2006)
- The Right Honourable Sir John Goodwin, GCRI, MP (2006–2011)
- The Right Honourable Sir John Goodwin, GCRI (2011)
- The Right Honourable Sir John Goodwin, OIM, GCRI (2011–2013)
- The Right Honourable Sir John Goodwin, OIM, GCRI, CH (2013–)
- Government House Leaders
- Knights Grand Companion of the Royal Ibaglian Order
- Leaders of the Opposition
- Members of the Conservative Party
- Members of the Executive Council
- Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
- Members of the Order of Ibaglian Merit
- Members of the Privy Council
- Ministers of Defence
- Ministers of Foreign Affairs
- Prime Ministers of Ibagli