Lord Triesman, a former Labour minister and the first independent chairman of the Football Association, has died at the age of 82. The Labour party announced on Friday night that he passed away peacefully at home.
The peer had a distinguished career spanning politics, trade unions, academia and football. He joined Sir Tony Blair's government in the House of Lords in 2004, serving as a Foreign Office minister and later as under-secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills. He remained active in the Lords until his death and served as a Lord in Waiting to Queen Elizabeth II from 2004 to 2022.
Football legacy
A passionate Tottenham Hotspur fan, Lord Triesman became the first patron of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and the first independent chair of the FA. From that platform, he «advocated intensely against racism in football and for the increased centrality of the women's football,» the Labour party said. He later played an important role in exposing corruption within Fifa.
Political career
As Labour's general secretary, Lord Triesman helped build the campaign infrastructure that contributed to the party winning a third term in government. He also served as general secretary of the Association of University Teachers and held positions on several prominent select committees.
Baroness Angela Smith, Labour's leader in the House of Lords, said he was «respected and loved by his colleagues for his courtesy, kindness, wisdom, loyalty and generosity of spirit.» She added that «David bore his illness with amazing courage and even in the last weeks of his life he was engaging company.»
Hollie Ridley, Labour's general secretary, paid tribute to her predecessor. «Far too few general secretaries have had the privilege of serving the Labour Party and the country while Labour is in power – and the work David did while in that role helped to ensure our campaign machinery had the solid foundations needed to help us go on to win that third term in government,» she said.
The Labour party statement noted that «beyond his many public roles, David will be ever missed by his family and friends for his warmth, love, humour, insight and the ceaseless encouragement he gave to the younger generations of their family and their friends' families.»
Lord Triesman is survived by his wife Lucy, the Lady Triesman, and their daughter Ilona. The family has asked for privacy at this time.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
