The Rt Hon Lord Hague of Richmond

The Rt Hon Lord Hague of Richmond is Chancellor of the University of Oxford.

Born in Rotherham in 1961 he was first educated at Wath-Upon-Dearne Comprehensive School, before moving on to study at Magdalen College, becoming President of the Oxford Union and graduating in 1982 with First Class honours and the College Prize in PPE. Later he took an MBA at INSEAD in France.

After commencing a business career with McKinsey & Co, William was elected as the MP for Richmond, Yorkshire. He served for 26 years in the House of Commons in many senior roles, in particular Secretary of State for Wales 1995-1997, Leader of the Conservative Party 1997-2001, and First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary 2010-2014. As Minister for Disabled People he was responsible for the landmark Disability Discrimination Act of 1995. During his time as Foreign Secretary William received global recognition for the Campaign to Prevent Sexual Violence in Conflict, which he co-founded with Angelina Jolie.

Well known as an author, William has written biographies of William Pitt the Younger (2005 History Book of the Year award) and William Wilberforce. On leaving the Commons in 2015, William was made a life peer and has since then devoted his time to charity, business and journalism. He has served as chair of the Royal United Services Institute 2015-2020, chair of the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales 2020-2025 and is co-chair of United for Wildlife, a global effort to combat the illegal wildlife trade. He is also President of the Britain-Australia Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

William is a weekly columnist of The Times and since 2023 has co-authored, with Sir Tony Blair, a series of reports advocating a stronger national focus on science, technology and innovation.