Frank Byers

The Right Honourable The Lord Byers OBE PC DL
Member of Parliament for North Dorset
In office 5 July 1945 – 23 February 1950
Preceded by	Angus Hambro
Succeeded by	Robert Crouch
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 22 December 1964 – 6 February 1984
Personal details
Born	Charles Frank Byers (1915-07-24)24 July 1915 Wallasey, Cheshire, England
Died	6 February 1984(1984-02-06) (aged 68) Westminster, London, England
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Joan Oliver ​ (m. 1939)​
Children	4
Relatives	Lisa Nandy (granddaughter)
Occupation	Politician
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Years of service	1940–1945
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Service number	124272
Unit	Royal Artillery
Battles / wars	World War II
Awards	Mentioned in dispatches Chevalier of the Legion of Honour Croix de Guerre

Charles Frank Byers, Baron Byers, OBE, PC, DL (24 July 1915 – 6 February 1984) was a British Liberal Party politician who later became a life peer and Privy Councillor.

Byers was born in Wallasey, Cheshire. He was the son of Charles Cecil Byers (1888–1957), a Lloyd's underwriter, who was Liberal candidate for Westbury at the 1935 general election. He moved with the family to Potters Bar and was educated at Westminster School, followed by Christ Church, Oxford, where he won a Blue for athletics. At Oxford he was president of the Union of Liberal Students and president of the University Liberal Club. His treasurer was Harold Wilson, later Labour Party prime minister.

Byers was also an exchange scholar at Milton Academy, Massachusetts.^[1] While at the University of Oxford, where he gained his degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, he met Joan Oliver, whom he married in 1939. They had a son and three daughters. Joan Oliver was a committed Liberal in her own right and was a constant help to her husband during his political career.

Byers was admitted to Gray's Inn^[2] after university, but broke off his legal education to enlist. During the Second World War, Byers served in the Royal Artillery, rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and for a time serving on Field Marshal Montgomery's staff. He was mentioned in dispatches three times, was created a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. In 1944 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.^[3]

In the 1945 general election, Byers gained the formerly Conservative seat of North Dorset, with the absence of a Labour candidate being a key factor in this success. In 1946 Byers was appointed Liberal Chief Whip^[4] and gained a reputation for hard work and effective organisation both in parliament and at Liberal Party headquarters.^[5] However he was unable to hold the seat in 1950, losing by just 97 votes to the Conservatives following Labour's decision to stand a candidate. He unsuccessfully tried to re-enter the House of Commons in 1960 at the Bolton East by-election.

On 22 December 1964 Byers was created a life peer as Baron Byers, of Lingfield in the County of Surrey^[6][7] and three years later he became leader of the Liberal peers. He was created a Privy Councillor in 1972.^[8]

Outside Parliament, Byers was a businessman, a director of Rio Tinto Zinc from 1962 to 1973 and a broadcaster.^[9] He died of a heart attack on 6 February 1984.^[10] A memorial service was held in Westminster Abbey on 5 April 1984.^[11] His daughter, TV producer (Ann) Luise married Dipak Nandy, an Indian academic and politician. Luise's daughter, Lisa Nandy, is a Labour MP.

• Douglas, Roy (1998). "Frank Byers (Lord Byers)". In Brack, Duncan (ed.). Dictionary of Liberal Biography. Politico's.

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Frank Byers