Background
Wood was the youngest son of Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, and Lady Dorothy Evelyn Augusta Onslow.
Wood was the youngest son of Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, and Lady Dorothy Evelyn Augusta Onslow.
He was educated at Street Cyprian"s School Eastbourne, Eton College and New College, Oxford.
He was distinctive in having lost both his legs in action in North Africa during World World War World War II
He became honorary attaché at the British Embassy in Rome in 1940, and in 1941 he gained the rank of Lieutenant in the King"s Royal Rifle Corps. He fought in the Middle East between 1941 and 1943 and was severely wounded, losing both his legs in action. Wood became Member of Parliament for Bridlington in 1950 and held the seat until 1979.
He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Derick Heathcoat-Amory during his time successively as Minister of Pensions between 1951 and 1953, Minister of State at the Board of Trade between 1953 and 1954, and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries between 1954 and 1955.
Wood was then Joint Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance between 1955 and 1958, at the Ministry of Labour between 1958 and 1959 and at the Ministry of Power between 1959 and 1963. He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (Personal Computer) in 1959.
He was Minister of Pensions and National Insurance from 1963 until the Conservative Party lost power in 1964. He was Minister of Overseas Development from 1970 to 1974 for the duration of the Heath Government.
From 1987 to 1991 he was an energetic chairman of the Disablement Services Authority, charged with the improvement of artificial limb services: he then served as a junior Minister on services for disabled people.
Wood became Honorary Colonel of the Queen"s Royal Rifles in 1962 and Honorary Colonel of the 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets between 1967 and 1969. He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (Doctor of Laws) of the East Riding, Yorkshire in 1967. He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Law (Doctor of Laws) by Sheffield University in 1962, by Leeds University in 1978 and by Hull University in 1982.
He was a director of Hargreaves Group between 1974 and 1986 and also a director of FJC Lilley & Company.
After he retired as an Member of Parliament, Wood was given a life peerage on 7 August 1979 as Baron Holderness, of Bishop Wilton in the County of Humberside.
39th United Kingdom Parliament. 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.