william hague was born in rotherham in west riding of yorkshire, england. he first gained national attention when he spoke at the 1977 conservative party conference aged 16. he was educated at the university of oxford. hague first became a member of parliament at a by-election in 1989. in 1995, william hague was made the secretary of state for wales until 1997 when the conservatives lost the general election. he was elected as conservative party leader in 1997. following the conservative's defeat in the 2001 general election, he resigned from the position and was succeeded by iain duncan smith.