Robert Adley

Robert James Adley (2 March 1935 – 13 May 1993) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom and a railway enthusiast.

Early life and family Robert James Adley born on 2 March 1935, the son of Harry Adley, a company director. He was educated at Falconbury School and Uppingham School, before becoming the Director of Sales at the May Fair Hotel (1960–64). In 1961, he married Jane Elizabeth Pople, daughter of Wilfred Pople of Somerset. Later, he was the Marketing Director at Holiday Inns of Canada.

Adley was born Jewish but converted to Anglicanism, and was married with two children.

Adley was well known as a railway enthusiast, after gaining a love of trains when he was given The Wonder Book of Trains at the age of three. Adley became leader of the Conservative backbench committee on transport and then the Chairman of the Commons Transport Select Committee. Adley had previously opposed the poll tax and bus deregulation, while supporting Concorde and an integrated transport system. Adley also called for talks with the African National Congress and for the UK government to support the aspirations of the black majority in apartheid-era South Africa. following a heart attack in 1993 at the age of 58. British Rail named locomotive 91022 Robert Adley in November 1993.

Author Adley was the author of numerous books mainly on the subject of railways and in particular steam engines.