LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 13:  Prime Minister David Cameron with his wife Samantha leave 10 Downing Street for the last time after speaking to the press to visit Buckingham Palace to formally tender his resignation to the Queen on July 13, 2016 in London, England. David Cameron leaves Downing Street today having been Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since May 2010 and Leader of the Conservative Party since December 2005. He is succeeded by former Home Secretary Theresa May and will remain as Member of Parliament for Witney in Oxfordshire.  (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
The evolution of David Cameron
01:26 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

Here’s a look at the life of David Cameron, former prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Personal

Birth date: October 9, 1966

Birth place: London, England

Birth name: David William Donald Cameron

Father: Ian Cameron, a stockbroker

Mother: Mary (Mount) Cameron

Marriage: Samantha (Sheffield) Cameron (June 1, 1996-present)

Children: Florence Rose Endellion, 2010; Arthur Elwen, 2006; Nancy Gwen, 2004; Ivan Reginald, 2002-2009

Education: Eton College; Brasenose College, Oxford, 1988 - First Class honors degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics

Religion: Anglican

Other Facts

Is a descendant of King William IV.

Was the 12th prime minister to take office during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

The first Conservative (Tory) prime minister since John Major in 1997.

Serves on the board of the ONE campaign, an organization dedicated to ending extreme poverty and preventable disease.

Chairman of Patrons at National Citizen Service (NCS), a youth development program launched when Cameron was prime minister.

Timeline

1988-1992 - Works at the Conservative Party Research Department.

1992 - Becomes special adviser to Norman Lamont, the chancellor of the exchequer.

1993 - Is special adviser to Home Secretary Michael Howard.

1994-2001 - Head of corporate affairs for media company Carlton Communications.

1997 - Runs unsuccessfully for a parliamentary seat from Stafford.

2001 - Becomes a member of Parliament (MP) representing the town of Witney, in Oxfordshire, and serves as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee.

2003 - Is appointed shadow deputy leader in the House of Commons.

May 2005 - Is appointed shadow education secretary.

December 6, 2005 - Is elected leader of the Conservative Party.

February 25, 2009 - His son Ivan, who suffered from cerebral palsy, dies at the age of 6.

May 6, 2010 - No one party receives a majority in parliamentary elections. The Conservatives win 306 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons, 20 seats shy of a majority.

May 11, 2010 - Queen Elizabeth II invites Cameron to be the new prime minister after Gordon Brown’s resignation. Cameron announces his intent to form a coalition government with the Liberal Democrat party.

July 20, 2010 - Makes a trip to the United States, meeting with President Barack Obama.

July 20, 2011 - Cameron addresses an emergency session of the House of Commons about the phone hacking scandal at News Corp. Cameron defends his ties to Rupert Murdoch and former News of the World editor Andy Coulson, who previously worked as Cameron’s communications director.

June 14, 2012 - Cameron testifies before the Leveson Inquiry regarding the News Corp. phone hacking scandal.

September 26, 2012 - Appears on the “Late Show with David Letterman.”

May 7, 2015 - With all the results in, Cameron and his Conservative Party claim an outright majority in Parliament, with 331 seats out of 650, and can form a new government.

June 24, 2016 - Following the UK vote to leave the European Union, Cameron announces his resignation saying he will leave when a new leader is appointed.

July 13, 2016 - Cameron resigns. Home Secretary Theresa May replaces him.

September 12, 2016 - Cameron announces he will stand down immediately as a member of parliament, saying he doesn’t want to be a “diversion to the important decisions that lie ahead for my successor in Downing Street and the Government.”

January 2017 - Becomes president of Alzheimer’s Research UK.

March 6, 2018 - The BBC and other British media report that Cameron has become a paid consultant to Illumina, a US-based genomics company, and is serving as vice chairman of an investment fund called the UK-China fund. He is banned from lobbying until July 2018, according to the UK’s Advisory Committee of Business Appointments, which approved his new positions.

September 2019 - Cameron’s memoir “For the Record” is published.

January 16, 2023 - New York University Abu Dhabi announces that Cameron will teach a three-week January Term course titled “Practising Politics and Government in the Age of Disruption.”

November 13, 2023 - Cameron says he has “gladly accepted” the title UK Foreign Secretary, following the firing of Home Secretary Suella Braverman. Cameron is awarded a Barony, which enables him to sit in the House of Lords and work in government.