Gerald Neil Steinberg (20 April 1945 – 19 August 2015) was a Labour Party politician in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. He was

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for the City of Durham from 1987 until his retirement at the 2005 general election.

Early life

The son of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

parents Harry and Esther Steinberg, Gerry Steinberg attende
St Margaret's CE Primary School
in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

and then Whinney Hill Secondary Modern School and Johnston Grammar School (both schools now known as

Durham Johnston Comprehensive School Durham Johnston Comprehensive School is a secondary school in Durham, England. Introduction Durham Johnston is a 1700-place 11–18 school serving Durham City and communities beyond to the south and west. It is situated on Crossgate Moor, on ...

) on ''Crossgate Moor''. He gained a Teachers Certificate at Sheffield College of Education (now a campus of

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

) on ''

Collegiate Crescent Collegiate Crescent is a crescent forming part of the Broomhall Estate in S10, Sheffield, that intersects with Ecclesall Road. One of two long-standing campuses of Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public rese ...

'' in Sheffield and later a

Diploma of Education The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overview The diploma can build on the ...

(DipEd) of Backward Children (

Special Educational Needs Special educational needs (SEN), also known as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the United Kingdom refers to the education of children who require different education provision to the mainstream system. Definition The definiti ...

) at

Newcastle Polytechnic , mottoeng = A lifetime of learning , established = 1877 - Rutherford College of Technology1969 - Newcastle Polytechnic1992 - gained university status , type = Public , budget = � ...

(now Northumbria University Coach Lane Campus). He started teaching at Hexham Camp School in 1966, then moved to

Elemore Hall Elemore Hall is a mid-18th-century country house, now in use as a residential special school, near Pittington, County Durham, England. It is a Grade I listed building. History The manor of Elemore was owned prior to the Dissolution of the Mon ...

in County Durham in 1969. From 1975-87 he was at Whitworth House Special School in

Spennymoor Spennymoor is a town and civil parish in County Durham (district), County Durham, England. It is south of the River Wear and is south of Durham, England, Durham. The civil parish includes the villages of Kirk Merrington, Middlestone Moor, Byers ...

where he became Head Teacher. He joined the Labour Party in 1969 and became election agent for Durham MP Dr Mark Hughes in 1973. In May 1975 he was elected to

Durham City Council Durham most commonly refers to: * Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham * County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States * Durham, North Carolina, a city in ...

. He was secretary of the Labour Group on the city council from 1981 to 1987 and Co-Leader of the Council from 1983–87.

Parliamentary career

In 1985 he was selected from a short list of six to be the Labour parliamentary candidate for Durham City, after Hughes had decided not to stand again. Steinberg was elected as the Member of Parliament in June 1987. He was a member of a number of Parliamentary Committees, including the

Education & Skills Select Committee The Education & Skills Select Committee was a Committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The official name was the ''House of Commons, Education and Skills Committee''. The committee was abolished as a result of the ...

and the Public Accounts Committee.

Personal life

Steinberg was admitted as an

Honorary Freeman The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

of the City of

on 8 December 2005. On 25 August 1969 Steinberg married Margaret Thornton, a teacher, and had two children, Harry and Lyanne. Gerry Steinberg died on 19 August 2015 after suffering from cancer.

Early life

Parliamentary career

Personal life

References

External links