Education
Godber was educated at Bedford School, between 1922 and 1931, and became a nurseryman.
Godber was educated at Bedford School, between 1922 and 1931, and became a nurseryman.
He became chairman of the county glasshouse section of the National Farmers Union and of the publicity and parliamentary committee. Godber was a Bedfordshire County Councillor from 1946 until 1952. He served under Harold Macmillan as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 1957 to 1960, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1960 to 1961, as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 1961 to 1963 and as Secretary of State for War in 1963, under Sir Alec Douglas-Home as Minister of Labour from 1963 to 1964 and under Edward Heath as Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 1970 to 1972 and as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 1972–1974.
Godber was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1963 and in 1979 he was made a life peer as Baron Godber of Willington, of Willington in the County of Bedfordshire.
40th United Kingdom Parliament. 41st United Kingdom Parliament. 42nd United Kingdom Parliament.
43rd United Kingdom Parliament.
44th United Kingdom Parliament. 45th United Kingdom Parliament.
46th United Kingdom Parliament. 47th United Kingdom Parliament]
He was a member of the Tomato and Cucumber Marketing Board.
He was elected Member of Parliament for Grantham in 1951, a seat he held until 1979.