Grandson of first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Viscount Craigavon, dies
It was announced in the House of Lords yesterday that Viscount Craigavon, grandson of the First Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, had passed away.
The Lord Speaker made a brief announcement to peers yesterday about his passing, reportedly at 80 years of age.
Janric Fraser Craig had been the third Viscount, taking the title from the first Viscount, James Craig, the First Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and former leader of the UUP.
According to Humanists UK, he was made one of their patrons for his humanist contributions to ethical questions in public life.
A Crossbench peer, he was born in 1944 into the famous Ulster family and was educated at Eton College and the University of London, where he graduated with both a BA and a BSc.
He had been a chartered accountant by profession since 1969 and by 1974, he succeeded to his father's title and entered the House of Lords.
He was a member of the Parliamentary Humanist Group and had spoken in favour of assisted dying for the terminally ill, the organisation said.
It records that he was interested in "moral education" and was an adviser and former trustee of the Progress Educational Trust (PET).
PET provides impartial and accurate information to people affected by infertility or genetic conditions, and provides platforms for them – and relevant experts and practitioners – to discuss developments in these areas.
PolicyMogul.com lists him as an executive committee member of the Anglo-Austrian Society, which promotes social and cultural exchange and dialogue between the United Kingdom and Austria.
A non-political crossbencher, it appears that he last spoke in the Lords in September on the Holocaust Memorial Bill, where he described himself as "very much a local Westminster inhabitant".
He had been a regular voter and speaker in the Lords right up until November 2024.
His geographic areas of concern were listed as London, Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland and Holland.
It is reported that he was made a Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland in 1998, a Commander of the Swedish Royal Order of the Polar Star in the following year and a Knight of the Danish Order of the Dannebrog in 2006.