James Scott-Hopkins

Sir James Sidney Rawdon Scott-Hopkins (29 November 1921 – 11 March 1995) was a British Conservative politician.

Sir James Scott-Hopkins
Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament
In office 7 July 1979 – 9 February 1982
Preceded by	Geoffrey Rippon
Succeeded by	Henry Plumb
Member of the European Parliament for Hereford and Worcester
In office 7 June 1979 – 9 June 1994
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Member of Parliament for West Derbyshire
In office 23 November 1967 – 7 April 1979
Preceded by	Aidan Crawley
Succeeded by	Matthew Parris
Member of Parliament for North Cornwall
In office 8 October 1959 – 10 March 1966
Preceded by	Sir Harold Roper
Succeeded by	John Pardoe
Personal details
Born	(1921-11-29)29 November 1921 Croydon, Surrey, England
Died	11 March 1995(1995-03-11) (aged 73) Westminster, London, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Geraldine Hargreaves ​ ​ (m. 1946)​
Children	4
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	University of Oxford
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1939–1950
Battles/wars	World War II

Born in Croydon, Scott-Hopkins was educated at Eton College and the University of Oxford. He joined the British Army in 1939. He was commissioned in the 3rd QAO Gurkha Rifles in 1942 and served on the North-West Frontier, commanding C Company of the 4th Battalion, and in Burma until 1946, having taken a regular commission in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in 1944. He retired from the Army in 1950 and became a farmer. He married Geraldine Hargreaves in Eton in 1946 (three sons, one daughter).

Scott-Hopkins contested Bedwellty in 1955. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for North Cornwall from 1959 until he lost the seat to the Liberal John Pardoe in 1966. He had served as joint Parliamentary Secretary at MAFF 1962–64. He was re-elected as MP for West Derbyshire at a 1967 by-election, and served until 1979.

His successor was Matthew Parris. He had served, concurrently (to 1979), as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1979, when he was elected for the Hereford and Worcester European constituency, serving until 1994. He was knighted in 1981. He died in Westminster, aged 73.