Robin Catford

British civil servant

Sir Robin Catford

KCVO CBE

Prime Minister's Appointments Secretary
In office
1982–1993
Prime Minister| Margaret Thatcher
John Major
Preceded by| Colin Vyvyan Peterson
Succeeded by| John Holroyd
Personal details
Born| (1923-01-11)11 January 1923
Died| 27 May 2008(2008-05-27) (aged 85)
Spouse| Daphne Georgina Darby
Alma mater| St Andrews University
St John's College, Cambridge
Occupation| Civil Servant

Sir Robin Catford, KCVO, CBE (11 January 1923 – 27 May 2008) was a British civil servant who served as the Prime Minister's Appointments Secretary to Margaret Thatcher and John Major.[1]

## Early life

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Sir Robin attended Hampton Grammar School before reading Agriculture at St Andrews University and St John's College, Cambridge.[1]

## Career

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After Cambridge, Sir Robin joined the Sudan Civil Service for nine years. On his return to Britain, he entered industry and worked for Fisons.[2]

In 1966, he joined the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries as Principal Secretary, eventually becoming under-secretary in 1979.[3]

In 1982, Sir Robin was appointed Prime Minister's Appointments Secretary, succeeding Colin Vyvyan Peterson. He was responsible for advising the Prime Minister on Crown appointments.[2] These largely consisted of senior Church of England appointments but also included, for instance, the selection of Ted Hughes to succeed John Betjeman as Poet Laureate.[4]

In 1988, Sir Robin helped Margaret Thatcher to write her "Sermon on the Mound" speech.[5]

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1990 and a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1993.[6]

## Personal life

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He married Daphne Georgina Darby in 1948. She died in 2005.[7] Sir Robin and Lady Catford together had three sons and a daughter.[8]

His recreations were listed in Who's Who as "Sailing, theatre, travel, arts, avoiding gardening".[3]

He was a devout Anglican and a member of the Diocesan Synod of Chichester.[9][4]

## References

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1. ^ "Sir Robin Catford". Daily Telegraph. 10 June 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
2. ^ "Sir Robin Catford: secretary for appointments under Thatcher". The Times. 23 June 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
3. ^ "Catford, Sir (John) Robin". Who's Who. 1 December 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
4. ^ "Obituary: SIR ROBIN CATFORD". Church Times. 9 July 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2021.