John Cockcroft (politician)

John Hoyle Cockcroft (6 July 1934 – 25 April 2023) was a British Conservative politician and journalist.

Early life and education

Cockcroft was born on 6 July 1934 in Todmorden, Yorkshire, to Lionel Cockroft and Jenny Hoyle. He was educated at Oundle School, and attended St John's College, Cambridge, as a senior major scholar, graduating with a degree in History and Economics in 1958. That same year, he was elected president of the Cambridge Union Society. He served as a lieutenant in the British Army from 1953 to 1955. He served on numerous boards and commissions.

Cockcroft's uncle was the Nobel-prize winning physicist Sir John Cockcroft.