Byers was born in Wallasey, Cheshire. He was the son of Charles Cecil Byers (1888–1957), a
Lloyd's underwriter, who was Liberal candidate for
Westbury at the
1935 general election. He moved with the family to Potters Bar and was educated at
Westminster School, followed by
Christ Church, Oxford, where he won a
Blue for athletics. At Oxford, he was president of the
Union of Liberal Students and president of the
University Liberal Club. His treasurer was
Harold Wilson, later
Labour Party prime minister. Byers was also an exchange scholar at
Milton Academy,
Massachusetts. While at the University of Oxford, where he gained his degree in
Philosophy, Politics and Economics, he met Joan Oliver, whom he married in 1939. They had a son and three daughters. Joan Oliver was a committed Liberal in her own right and was a constant help to her husband during his political career. Byers was admitted to
Gray's Inn after university but broke off his legal education to enlist. During the Second World War, Byers served in the
Royal Artillery, rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and for a time serving on
Field Marshal Montgomery's staff. He was
mentioned in dispatches three times, was created a Chevalier of the
Legion of Honour and was awarded the
Croix de Guerre. In 1944, he was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire. In the
1945 general election, Byers gained the formerly
Conservative seat of
North Dorset, with the absence of a
Labour candidate being a key factor in this success. In 1946, Byers was appointed Liberal Chief Whip and gained a reputation for hard work and effective organisation both in parliament and at Liberal Party headquarters. However he was unable to hold the seat in 1950, losing by just 97 votes to the Conservatives following Labour's decision to stand a candidate. He unsuccessfully tried to re-enter the House of Commons in 1960 at the
Bolton East by-election. On 22 December 1964, Byers was created a
life peer as
Baron Byers,
of Lingfield in the County of Surrey and three years later he became leader of the Liberal peers. He was created a
Privy Councillor in 1972. Outside Parliament, Byers was a businessman, a director of
Rio Tinto Zinc from 1962 to 1973 and a broadcaster. He died of a heart attack on 6 February 1984. A memorial service was held in
Westminster Abbey on 5 April 1984. His daughter, TV producer (Ann) Luise married
Dipak Nandy, an Indian academic and politician. Luise's daughter,
Lisa Nandy, is a Labour MP. ==References==