Born in 1931, Cecil Parkinson was educated at Royal Grammar School, Lancaster and Emmanuel College, Cambridge (where he graduated with an MA English and Law in 1955).

In June 1970, he stood unsuccessfully for Northampton but was elected as Member of Parliament for Enfield West at a by-election later that year, following the death of Iain Macleod.  When Enfield West was abolished for the February 1974 General Election, he was elected for the new South Hertfordshire constituency.

After the Conservatives won the 1979 General Election, he was made a junior trade minister.  In September 1981 he was made Chairman of the Conservative Party (for the first time) and Paymaster-General with a seat in the Cabinet, and in 1982 was given the added official title of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.  He was a member of the small War Cabinet set up by Margaret Thatcher during the Falklands Conflict.  In 1983, he was made a Privy Councillor.

Following the 1983 General Election triumph, Cecil was appointed Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.  Cecil resigned in October 1983, and after four years on the backbenches, was appointed Secretary of State for Energy in 1987 and then for Transport in the July 1989 reshuffle.

He resigned along with Margaret Thatcher when she was replaced by John Major and stood down at the 1992 General Election.  He was created Baron Parkinson of Carnforth in Lancashire in 1992, and published his memoirs 'Right at the Centre' the same year.

From 1992 to 1997, Cecil was Chairman of Conservative Way Forward, and he returned to front-line politics when he was made Conservative Party Chairman again by William Hague in June 1997.  He retired from this position in 1998.

Outside of politics, his interests include reading, golf and skiing.

He is President of the Chemical Dependency Centre and was Treasurer of The Wordsworth Trust from 1997 to 2003.

He has been married to Ann since 1957, and has three daughters.