Government at the funeral of General Franco. Shepherd remained an active member of the House of Lords for the rest of his life, and on 16 November 1999 he was created a life peer as Baron Shepherd of Spalding, of Spalding in the County of Lincolnshire in order to keep his seat after the House of Lords Act removed the right of hereditary peers to an automatic seat in the House. Business career After the surprise defeat of Harold Wilson's Labour government in the 1970 general election, Shepherd worked for Rudy Sternberg's Sterling Group. He returned to an active career in business after resigning from the Cabinet in 1976 and also held a number of public offices. Shepherd was the first Chairman of the Civil Service Pay Research Unit board from 1978 to 1981. He served on the Packaging Council from 1978 to 1980. He was chairman of the Medical Research Council from 1978 to 1982. From 1976 to 1986 he was Deputy Chairman of Rudi Sternberg's, later to become Lord Plurenden, Sterling Group of Companies. In 1979 he became chairman of the National Bus Company which was then one of the largest nationalised industries. Shepherd oversaw a large rise in its profits which reached £48m by 1984. He tried to persuade the Conservative government not to privatise the company, warned of the disappearance of loss-making rural services and frequently clashed with the Transport Secretary Nicholas Ridley. He was President of the Centre Européen de l'Enterprise Publique from 1985 and of the Institute of Road Transport Engineers. Family In 1941, Shepherd married Allison Wilson Redmond (died 1998), the sister of broadcaster James Redmond. Their two sons, Graeme and Douglas, were born in Singapore before he succeeded to the title. He was on holiday in Lanzarote (with his Whip's permission), where he died suddenly on 5 April 2001. His elder son Graeme inherited the hereditary title. He is buried together with his wife, Allison, in the yard of Muiravonside church in Falkirk, Scotland. Reflinks Sources The Independent, 7 April 2001 (obituary) The Guardian, 6 April 2001 (obituary) The Times (obituary) The Daily Telegraph (obituary) Who's Who 1999 |- |- |- |- |- 1918 births 2001 deaths Lords Privy Seal 2 Shepherd of Spalding Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Leaders of the House of Lords Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms Royal Army Service Corps officers Labour Party