Eldon Griffiths
British politician and journalist (1925-2014)
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Sir Eldon Wylie Griffiths (25 May 1925 – 3 June 2014) was a British Conservative politician and journalist.
Sir Eldon Griffiths | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minister for Sport | |
| In office 19 June 1970 – 4 March 1974 | |
| Prime Minister | Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Denis Howell |
| Succeeded by | Denis Howell |
| Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds | |
| In office 14 May 1964 – 16 March 1992 | |
| Preceded by | William Traven Aitken |
| Succeeded by | Richard Spring |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 May 1925 Wigan, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 3 June 2014 (aged 89) |
| Party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) |
Sigrid Gante
(m. 1949; div. 1985)Betty Stannard
(m. 1985; died 2010)Susan Donnell (m. 2013) |
| Children | 2, including John Griffiths |
| Alma mater | Emmanuel College, Cambridge |
| Profession | Journalist and farmer |
Early life
Griffiths was born on 25 May 1925 in Wigan, Lancashire.[2] His Welsh father was a police sergeant. He attended Ashton-under-Lyne Grammar School.[2] Following the Second World War service in the Royal Air Force he gained a double first class degree in history from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and an MA from Yale University.[3][2]
Career
Journalism
After university Griffiths worked in the Conservative Research Department and became a journalist and farmer. He was on staff of US magazine Newsweek,[2] as managing editor.[citation needed]
Political career
He became the MP for Bury St Edmunds after a by-election in 1964, and represented the seat until he retired in 1992. His Daily Telegraph obituary claimed he was "rangy, articulate, but dour... a political loner, and not over-popular on the Tory benches." However, it listed many achievements as MP and in other spheres.[4] He served as Minister for Sport during the Edward Heath government of 1970 to 1974. He also served as parliamentary spokesman for the Police Federation. In 1985, he was made a Knight Bachelor for "political service".[5]
Academia
For a brief period while an MP, Griffiths worked as a professor at the University of California, Irvine,[1] a role in which The Times said led to him being called the member for Orange County.[6]
Director appointments
Griffiths was a director of one of Gerald Carroll's Carroll Group companies.[7]
Personal life
In June 2013, aged 88, he announced his third marriage, to Susan Donnell.[8]
Honours
He was a Freeman of the borough of St Edmundsbury.