Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Bt (1915-2003), Businessman; husband of Baroness Thatcher

Sitter in 2 portraits
Sir Denis Thatcher was a businessman and political spouse. As the husband of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, he was the object of public criticism and political satire. In particular, the satirical magazine Private Eye published for many years its 'Dear Bill' series, a spoof letter to a golfing chum, depicting him in the comic persona of a gin-soaked buffoon. Thatcher endured these jibes with style and a self-deprecating good humour. Thatcher was a wealthy chemical executive when he married Margaret Roberts in 1951, and he served as a corporate director after his business was taken over by Burmah Oil in 1965. He was appointed MBE in his own right in 1944 and was made a hereditary baronet in 1991.