Leo Blair Born: August 4th 1923 Died: November 16th 2012It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the life and character of Leo Blair, who has died aged 89, on his son, Tony Blair. The former British Labour Party leader and prime minister inherited his ambition, drive and charm.
Leo Blair was a self-made man who had transformed his impoverished childhood as a foster child in a Glasgow slum to become a highly successful lawyer. He, too, had wanted to be prime minister, but had a stroke brought on by overwork at the age of 40. For three years he was unable to speak, apart from the word “good”.
As a consequence, he transferred his ambitions to his children. Tony, who was then 11, would later describe his father’s illness as “the day my childhood ended”.
Leo Blair was born in Yorkshire to Augusta Bridson, who had run away to join the theatre, changed her name to Celia Ridgway, married twice and was divorced by her second husband when she conceived Leo with actor Charles Parsons. The stigma of illegitimacy was such that they asked a Glasgow couple, shipyard rigger James Blair and his wife, Mary, to foster the baby. In 1942 Blair joined the army as a private but by the end of his war service he was an acting major. Back in Glasgow, he met Hazel Corscaden, a Protestant from Co Donegal, and they married in 1948.
He worked as a tax inspector and studied at night for a law degree. When he qualified he accepted a job as a law lecturer at the University of Adelaide, travelling there with his family. After their return to Britain, he lectured in law at Durham University, qualified as a barrister and became active in Conservative politics.
He was immensely proud of Tony Blair’s success and after his son’s election as leader in 1994 joined the Labour Party.
Hazel died in June 1975. Blair’s second wife, Olwen, died in March this year. He is survived by his three children.