Edward Watson Short, Baron Glenamara, (17 December 1912 – 4 May 2012) was a
British Labour Party politician and deputy leader of the Labour Party. He was
Member of Parliament (MP) for
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and served as a minister during the Labour governments under
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...
, before being appointed to the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
shortly after
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the L ...
became Prime Minister.
Following the death of
James Allason on 16 June 2011, Short was the oldest living former member of the
British House of Commons. He died just under a year later, aged 99. At the time of his death he was the oldest member of the House of Lords.
Early career
Short was born in
Warcop, Westmorland. His father Charles Short, a draper, was married to Mary. Short qualified as a teacher at
College of the Venerable Bede,
Durham University
Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...
, before completing a second degree, in law, at London University. He taught on Tyneside until enlisting in 1939.
He served as a Captain in the
Durham Light Infantry of the British Army during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. After leaving the army he returned to teaching, becoming Newcastle branch secretary of the
National Union of Teachers and in 1947, head of Princess Louise Boys' School,
Blyth.
He married Jennie Sewell in 1941, and they had two children.
Short joined the Labour Party in 1942 and was elected a councillor on
Newcastle City Council in 1948, where he led the Labour Group within two years.
[ He was first elected to Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne Central at the 1951 general election.][ He was appointed to the Privy Council in 1964, and was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1976.
]
Postmaster General
Short was responsible for the outlawing of pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline. Following the government campaign against the pirates previously led by Tony Benn, his predecessor in the post of Postmaster-General (then the minister with responsibility for broadcasting), Short was responsible for introducing the bill which became the Marine, &c., Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967. In a 1982 interview for BBC Radio's ''The Story of Pop Radio'', Short admitted having enjoyed listening to some of those stations, particularly Radio 390.
As Postmaster General, Short ordered the creation of the 1966 England Winners stamp to celebrate England's victory in the 1966 FIFA World Cup.
Education Secretary
He subsequently served as Education Secretary from 1968 to 1970, and became Labour's deputy leader on 25 April 1972 after Roy Jenkins resigned over differences on European policy. Short was seen at the time as a "safe pair of hands". His main rival for the job was the left-winger Michael Foot who was viewed by many on the centre and right of the party as a divisive figure. Short defeated Foot and Anthony Crosland
Charles Anthony Raven Crosland (29 August 191819 February 1977) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and author. A social democrat on the right wing of the Labour Party, he was a prominent socialist intellectual. His influe ...
in the same vote. During his tenure he ended the policy of free milk for secondary school students, a policy that would be controversially extended to 7-11 year olds by his Conservative Party successor Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
.
Lord President of the Council
Short's new seniority was reflected in 1974 as his appointment as Lord President of the Council – though not Deputy Prime Minister. While he stood in for Wilson at cabinet meetings and prime minister's questions, he did not have the stature to mount a leadership bid himself upon the prime minister's retirement in 1976.[ He was not offered a Cabinet post on ]James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the L ...
's election as Prime Minister. His resignation letter said that the time had come for him to step aside for a younger man; this was sarcasm, as he was replaced by Michael Foot, who was only seven months younger than himself. Short was also nine months younger than Callaghan, who had dropped him from the cabinet. Barbara Castle made similar remarks, having also been dropped from the cabinet.
Peerage
He was made a life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
as Baron Glenamara, of Glenridding in the County of Cumbria on 28 January 1977, a few months after he had left the Commons. One year prior to that, he was appointed Chairman of Cable and Wireless Ltd, which was at the time a nationalised industry. He served in that post until 1980.
As a life peer he was a member of the House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
, although a few years before his death he ceased to attend regularly.
His name lives on in the House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
with the term " Short Money". This refers to funds paid by the Government to help run the Parliamentary office of the Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
. The then Mr Short pioneered this idea during his time in the House.[
He was made a Freeman of the City of Newcastle in 2001 "in recognition of his eminent and outstanding public service" and served as Chancellor of the University of Northumbria, a post he retired from in 2005. Short died in Hexham on 4 May 2012, at the age of 99.][
]
References
*
*
* Debrett's People of Today 2006
* Who's Who
A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...
2006
* Times Guide to the House of Commons October 1974
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Short, Edward
1912 births
2012 deaths
Alumni of the College of the Venerable Bede, Durham
British Secretaries of State for Education
Councillors in Tyne and Wear
Durham Light Infantry officers
Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Labour Party (UK) life peers
Leaders of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
Lord Presidents of the Council
Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Ministers in the Wilson governments, 1964–1970
National Union of Teachers-sponsored MPs
People associated with Northumbria University
People from Warcop
Schoolteachers from Cumbria
UK MPs 1951–1955
UK MPs 1955–1959
UK MPs 1959–1964
UK MPs 1964–1966
UK MPs 1966–1970
UK MPs 1970–1974
UK MPs 1974
UK MPs 1974–1979
UK MPs who were granted peerages
Postmasters general of the United Kingdom
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
Military personnel from Cumbria
British Army personnel of World War II