Bill Wedderburn, Baron Wedderburn of Charlton

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Kenneth William Wedderburn, Baron Wedderburn of Charlton, QC, FBA (13 April 1927 – 9 March 2012) was a British politician and member of the House of Lords, affiliated with the Labour Party. He briefly became a crossbench member, citing his dislike of Blairism and 'the smell' of cash for questions.[1] He re-took the Labour Party whip in 2007.[2][3] He worked at the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics, where he was the Cassel Professor of Commercial Law from 1964 until his retirement in 1992.[4]

The Lord Wedderburn of Charlton
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
20 July 1977 – 9 March 2012
Life Peerage
Personal details
Born(1927-04-13)13 April 1927
London, United Kingdom
Died9 March 2012(2012-03-09) (aged 84)
London, United Kingdom
Political partyLabour
Spouse(s)Nina Salaman (div.)
Dorothy Cole (div.)
Frances Knight
ChildrenSarah
David
Lucy
Jonathan
Alma materQueens' College, Cambridge, London School of Economics

Education and career

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After graduating in law from Queens' College, Cambridge, Wedderburn served in the RAF for two years. He had a long career in labour law, and on 20 July 1977 was created a life peer with the title Baron Wedderburn of Charlton, of Highgate in Greater London[5] (Wedderburn chose this title as a tribute to his favourite football team Charlton Athletic F.C.[6][citation needed][7]).

He was an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society and a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association. Wedderburn also served as a key member of the 1977 Bullock Committee.[4]

Personal life

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In 1951 he married Nina Salaman, a medical researcher from a family of scientists and named after a grandmother. They had three children, Sarah, David and Lucy. The marriage ended in divorce.[8]

His second marriage in 1962 was to Dorothy Cole, a social scientist and university administrator. It also ended in divorce. His third marriage in 1969 was to Frances Knight with whom he had a son, Jonathan.[9] He was a direct descendant of Jamaican-born radical leader and anti-slavery advocate Robert Wedderburn[10] and thus also of the Jacobite rebel Sir John Wedderburn, 5th Baronet of Blackness.

Bibliography

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Articles
  • 'Shareholders' rights and the rule in Foss v Harbottle' [1957] 16 CLJ 194
  • 'Freedom of Association and Philosophies of Labour Law' [1989] 18 Industrial Law Journal
  • 'Consultation and Collective Bargaining in Europe: Success or Ideology' [1997] Industrial Law Journal
  • 'Employees, Partnership and Company Law' [2002] Industrial Law Journal
Books
  • The Worker and the Law, Penguin Books Ltd; 3rd Revised edition (25 September 1986), ISBN 0140226591

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Still fighting for freedom". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022.
  2. ^ DoD Online Biography Archived 15 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Death of Bill Wedderburn - Labour lawyer worked for the workers Archived 13 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b "Bill Wedderburn". The Modern Law Review. 76: 1–5. 2013. doi:10.1111/1468-2230.12008.
  5. ^ "No. 47282". The London Gazette. 22 July 1977. p. 9543.
  6. ^ Employment Law lectures at LSE passim [unreliable source?]
  7. ^ Labour lawyer who fought for the rights of workers
  8. ^ Wedderburn, Lucy (23 September 2020). "Nina Wedderburn obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  9. ^ The Guardian - Obituary 12 March 2012, accessed 20 September 2012
  10. ^ "Obituaries-Lord Wedderburn of Charlton: Labour lawyer who fought for the rights of workers". The Independent. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
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