ABSTRACT
John Major’s period as Foreign Secretary was notable both for the unexpectedness of his appointment, and its brevity. In post at the FCO for just 94 days, Major was the shortest-serving Foreign Secretary of the post-war era. He followed the career path of three Foreign Secretaries who have gone on to become Prime Minister in the post-war period: Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home1 and James Callaghan. Major’s three-month period interregnum as Foreign Secretary witnessed the beginning of tumultuous decline that led to the fall of Mrs Thatcher. In November 1990, barely a year after leaving the FCO, John Major became Prime Minister.
