Background
The elder son of Kenneth Escott Kirk (later Bishop of Oxford), he was educated at Marlborough and at Trinity College, Oxford, where he was President of the Union.
The elder son of Kenneth Escott Kirk (later Bishop of Oxford), he was educated at Marlborough and at Trinity College, Oxford, where he was President of the Union.
Trinity College.
Kirk was re-elected in Gravesend at the 1959 election, but lost his seat at the 1964 general election to Labour"s Albert Murray. In February 1965, the former Conservative Chancellor and Deputy Prime Minister Rab Butler was elevated to the peerage and thereby gave up his parliamentary seat in Saffron Walden. Kirk was the successful candidate at the March 1965 by-election, and retained the seat until his death.
Under Alec Douglas-Home"s premiership, Kirk was Under-Secretary of State for War from 1963 to 1964.
When the Conservatives regained power in 1970, Prime Minister Edward Heath appointed him as Under-Secretary for Defence for the Royal Navy from 1970 to 1973. He led the first Tory delegation to the European Parliament in 1973.
They had 3 sons, including Matthew Kirk, who was later the British Ambassador to Finland. Kirk was knighted in 1976.
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]
At the 1955 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for Gravesend, defeating outgoing Member of Parliament Sir Richard Acland, who had left the Labour Party to stand as an independent candidate.