Chris Patten Politician

Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes CH PC (born 12 May 1944) is a British public servant. He is a former chairman of the BBC Trust and serves as Chancellor of the University of Oxford.Patten began his career in the Conservative Party (UK), serving as Member of Parliament for Bath and joining the cabinet. As party chairman he orchestrated the Conservatives' unexpected fourth consecutive electoral victory in 1992 but lost his own seat in the House of Commons. He accepted a posting as the last Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Hong Kong, and oversaw its handover to the People's Republic of China in July 1997. As Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Patten presided over a steady rise in the living standards of Hong Kongers while encouraging a significant expansion of Hong Kong's social welfare system.From 1999 to 2004 he served as one of the United Kingdom's two members of the European Commission. He returned to the UK and became Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 2003. He was made a life peer in 2005. On 7 April 2011 the Queen approved Patten's appointment as the Chairman of the BBC Trust, the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. Patten held the position until his resignation on grounds of ill-health on 6 May 2014.Patten is a Roman Catholic and oversaw Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010. In 2010, The Tablet named him as one of Britain’s most influential Roman Catholics.

Personal facts

Birth date	May 12, 1944
Birth place	Cleveleys
Education	Balliol College Oxford

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Office holder

monarch	Elizabeth II
office	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Governor of Hong Kong Chairman of the Conservative Party Secretary of State for the Environment Minister for Overseas Development Chairman of the BBC Trust Chancellor of the University of Newcastle Chancellor of the University of Oxford European Commissioner for External Relations
other party	Conservative Party (UK)
party	Crossbencher
president	Romano Prodi
prime minister	John Major Margaret Thatcher
successor	Benita Ferrero-Waldner William Waldegrave Baron Waldegrave of North Hill Michael Heseltine Lynda Chalker Baroness Chalker of Wallasey Liam Donaldson Norman Fowler