Denis Thatcher

Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet,  (10 May 1915 – 26 June 2003) was a British businessman and the husband of Margaret Thatcher, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. He was the first male spouse of a British prime minister.

To this day, Thatcher remains the last commoner awarded a British title that could be inherited; he was granted the Thatcher baronetcy in 1990.

Early life
Thatcher was born in Lewisham, London, the oldest child of a New Zealand-born British businessman, Thomas Herbert (Jack) Thatcher. He studied at the Mill Hill School until he left at the age of 18 to become a businessman.

Personal life
Thatcher was married to Margaret Kempson (1918-1996) from 1942 until they divorced in 1948. Then he was married to Margaret Roberts from 1951 until his death in 2003. Thatcher and Margaret had twins: a son, Mark Thatcher, and daughter, Carol Thatcher.

Health
On 17 January 2003, Thatcher underwent a six-hour heart bypass operation. He had been complaining of breathlessness in the weeks before Christmas 2002 and the problem was diagnosed in early January. There, Thatcher was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer along with fluid in his lungs.

Death
Thatcher died in Lister Hospital at Westminster in London, England, from pancreatic cancer, aged 88. His body was cremated at Mortlake Crematorium in Richmond, London. His widow, Margaret, died almost 10 years after in 2013.

References

Other websites

 BBC photo archive
  His obituary (a life story) and picture gallery on the Telegraph website
 Denis Thatcher's grave

Category:1915 births
Category:2003 deaths
Category:Spouses of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
Category:British military personnel of World War II
Category:Businesspeople from London
Category:Cancer deaths in London
Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer
Category:Margaret Thatcher