Former British Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home died at the Hirsel, his family home in Berwickshire, on 9 October 1995, aged 92.
Douglas-Home served as Prime Minister from October 1963 to October 1964, succeeding Harold Macmillan. At the time of his appointment, he was the 14th Earl of Home and sat in the House of Lords.
Four days after becoming Prime Minister, he disclaimed his hereditary peerage under the Peerage Act 1963. This allowed him to stand for election to the House of Commons. He won the Kinross and West Perthshire by-election on 7 November. For a short period, he was Prime Minister without a seat in either House.
His government lasted 363 days. The Conservatives lost the October 1964 general election to Labour under Harold Wilson. Douglas-Home remained Conservative leader until 1965.
He had previously served as Foreign Secretary and returned to the position under Edward Heath from 1970 to 1974.
After retiring from the Commons in 1974, Douglas-Home accepted a life peerage. He became Lord Home of the Hirsel and returned to the House of Lords.
