Childhood & Early Life
David Cameron was born on 9 October, 1966, in London, England. His parents, Ian Donald Cameron and Mary Fleur, were business leaders.
He spent his childhood in Berkshire. He attended ‘Heatherdown School’ and ‘Eton College,’ finishing his early education in 1984.
Graduating from ‘Oxford’ (Brasenose College) in 1988, Cameron received a first class degree in philosophy, politics and economics (PPE). While at ‘Oxford,’ he was a member of the exclusive and controversial ‘Bullingdon Club.’
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Career
Cameron's first job was with the ‘Conservative Research Department,’ the think-tank of the rightist party. He joined the group in 1988 and continued working there for three years. He then started working closely with John Major.
Following the Conservatives' electoral victory in 1992, Cameron served as Special Adviser to the Chancellor and then Special Adviser to the Home Secretary.
Between 1994 and 2001, he served as the Director of Corporate Affairs for ‘Carlton Communications,’ a British media company.
Cameron entered Parliament in 2001. He courted greater visibility and sought to obtain a leadership role in the ‘Conservative Party.’
Although he initially supported the ‘Iraq War’ in 2003, he also voted in favor of judicial inquiries into the war's prosecution.
Michael Howard resigned as the party's leader after the 2005 general election. Cameron announced his intention to contest for the post and won the position on 6 December 2005, thus entering the ‘Privy Council.’
As leader of the party, he expressed strong support for the ‘National Health Service,’ calling it one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century.
Active in international politics, Cameron was crucial to the formation of the ‘European Conservatives and Reformists’ in 2009.
In the 2010 general election, the Conservatives secured 306 seats. Although it was the highest total, it was short of majority by 20 seats. This led to a coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
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David Cameron was formally invited to assume office as the prime minister of Great Britain on 11 May 2010. He became the youngest prime minister in almost two centuries.
During the formation of his cabinet, the new prime minister appointed the UK's first Muslim cabinet minister, Baroness Sayeeda Hussain Warsi.
The prime minister lobbied strenuously for the United Nations’ intervention in ‘Libyan Civil War’ in 2011. In March 2011, the UK and the US fired over 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles to support Libyan rebels.
The overall popularity of the ‘Conservative Party’ tumbled sharply in 2012 and 2013, with significant ground lost in local and council elections. This led to rumors of a vote of no confidence, but it never materialized.
Although his government supported the revolutionaries fighting against the Syrian government, military action was blocked by parliament. The British Parliament had never vetoed a prime minister's call for military action.
In 2014, he supported the successful ‘Better Together’ campaign at the Scottish independence referendum. He was also in favor of a campaign to retain the status quo in a referendum on changing the voting system. The referendum resulted in a 'No' to independence majority.
In 2015, the Conservative Party registered a decisive win in the general election and David Cameron was re-elected UK Prime Minister with a majority in the Commons. He thus became the only second Prime Minister (after Margaret Thatcher) to be re-elected immediately after a full term with a greater number of seats to-date.
The year 2016 was a decisive year in British politics. Following the results of the UK European Union membership referendum and the British public's decision to leave the European Union, Cameron announced his decision to step down as the Prime Minister in October 2016.
In 2017, he was appointed president of ‘Alzheimer's Research UK’ to address misconceptions surrounding dementia and campaign for medical research funding to tackle the condition.
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Personal Life & Legacy
On 1 June 1996, Cameron married Samantha Sheffield in East Hendred. Sheffield is a friend of his sister; the two became acquainted during a family trip to Italy.
The couple's first child Ivan was born on 8 April 2002. He suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy and lived only for six years. This had a tremendous impact on the political leader’s life. He also started supporting the NHS after the incident.
The couple has three other children, two daughters and a son. During his prime ministership, Cameron received attention for taking paternity leave from his governmental duties for the birth of his second son.
Facts About David Cameron
David Cameron is distantly related to the Queen of England, as they share a common ancestor in King William IV.
He has a passion for cooking and has been known to enjoy making traditional British dishes such as shepherd's pie.
Cameron once worked as a PR executive for a television company, where he helped promote popular shows like "Neighbours" and "Home and Away."
He is an avid fan of the band The Smiths and has cited them as one of his favorite musical groups.
