John Moore, Baron Moore of Lower Marsh

The Right Honourable The Lord Moore of Lower Marsh PC
Moore in 1985
Secretary of State for Social Security
In office 25 July 1988 – 23 July 1989
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Himself (Social Services)
Succeeded by	Tony Newton
Secretary of State for Health and Social Services
In office 13 June 1987 – 25 July 1988
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Norman Fowler
Succeeded by	Himself (Social Security) Kenneth Clarke (Health)
Secretary of State for Transport
In office 21 May 1986 – 13 June 1987
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Nicholas Ridley
Succeeded by	Paul Channon
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
In office 19 October 1983 – 21 May 1986
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Nicholas Ridley
Succeeded by	Norman Lamont
Economic Secretary to the Treasury
In office 13 June 1983 – 19 October 1983
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Jock Bruce-Gardyne
Succeeded by	Ian Stewart
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 3 July 1992 – 20 May 2019 Life Peerage
Member of Parliament for Croydon Central
In office 28 February 1974 – 9 April 1992
Preceded by	Constituency Created
Succeeded by	Paul Beresford
Personal details
Born	John Edward Michael Moore (1937-11-26)26 November 1937 London, England
Died	20 May 2019(2019-05-20) (aged 81) London, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Sheila Tillotson ​ ​ (m. 1962; died 2008)​
Children	3
Alma mater	London School of Economics
Profession	Stockbroker

John Edward Michael Moore, Baron Moore of Lower Marsh, PC (26 November 1937 – 20 May 2019) was a British Conservative Party politician who was Member of Parliament for Croydon Central from February 1974 until 1992. During the Premiership of Margaret Thatcher he enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of government, which culminated in his serving as a Secretary of State in the Cabinet from 1987 to 1989. For a time, he was considered a rising star of his party and a potential leadership contender.

Moore was particularly noted for his "filmstar good looks" and an American background: Moore's wife was American and he had lived for several years in the US. He brought aspects of American corporate culture to government and was reported to speak with a slight American accent. His first political experience was as a Democratic Party organiser in Illinois during the early 1960s.

Moore's fortunes in government waned after 1987 when he was made responsible for the highly sensitive portfolios of health and social security. His earlier success had been as a facilitator of the Thatcher government's privatisation programme. In this capacity he became known as "Mr Privatisation". When Moore attempted to extend this concept into the management of the National Health Service and the wider provision of social services, he encountered opposition from all sides. After losing credibility he was effectively demoted in 1988 (through loss of the health portfolio) and then sacked from his cabinet post in 1989.

Moore left the House of Commons in 1992, subsequently holding a number of corporate directorships and chairmanships.