Denis Vosper looked to be on the brink of a thoroughly promising ministerial career when he became Minister of Health at the early age of 41 in January 1957, but an abdominal operation from which he did not make a rapid and complete recovery forced his resignation the following September. Although he was able to resume office after the 1959 election and served as the first (and last) Secretary for Technical Cooperation from 1961 to 1963, his health was not good and he resigned his seat in March 1964 to take up the chairmanship of the National Assistance Board.
Denis Forwood Vosper was born at Heswall in Cheshire on 2 January 1916 and was educated at The Leas, Hoylake, Marlborough College and Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he took an honours degree in science. In 1938 he took up employment with the firm of Wilson, Vosper and Coltart, ships' provision and export merchants, in Liverpool. He joined the Territorial Army in the spring of 1939, was called up in the summer and served throughout the Second World War with the Cheshire Regiment, becoming adjutant and second-in-command of the 5th Battalion. He was demobilised in 1946 with the rank of Major and determined on a political career. He served as the Conservative agent for the Knutsford division of Cheshire and when the seat was divided in the 1949 redistribution, Vosper was chosen to fight the Runcorn part of it. He was returned at the 1950 election and speedily made his mark. In November 1950 he was appointed a Whip and when the party took office in 1951, he was appointed a Government Whip as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. He served on parliamentary delegations to Israel in the spring of 1951 and to Turkey in the summer of 1953. He was elected Secretary of the Anglo-Turkish Society in the latter year.
In October 1954 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education and played a full part in taking forward the two tasks to which his ministerial chief, Dir David Eccles had set his hand, the elimination of the all-age school and the drive for technical education. Eden continued him in post and his reward came when Macmillan appointed him Minister of Health in January 1957. He took over at a difficult time since he had to turn his attention immediately to a dispute with the doctors. He had also to try to check the rising cost of drugs. The general verdict was that he had made a most promising start, but in June 1957 he went into hospital for an abdominal operation. His hopes of a rapid and complete recovery were dashed and in September he was obliged to give up his job.
A gradual restoration of health saw him able to lead a parliamentary delegation to the West Indies in April 1958 and he was appointed to serve on the Albemarle Committee, which reported in 1959. After the General Election in October, Macmillan made him Butler's junior minister at the Home Office and a year later he was promoted to be Minister of State. Butler was a reforming Home Secretary and Vosper gave him valuable assistance.
In order to assist with the economic development of the Commonwealth, Macmillan created the Department of Technical Cooperation in 1961 and Vosper was appointed as the first Secretary. He was not re-appointed by Home and in March 1964 he left the Commons with a life peerage to take the chair of the National Assistance Board. When this was replaced by the Supplementary Benefits Commission in 1966, Vosper continued in the chair. He died on 20 January 1968.
Vosper stood 6 foot 5 in his socks and was one of the most popular men in parliament. A most able man, it was a tragedy for both the party and himself that his career was bedevilled by the ill health that led to his death at the early age of 52.