Eldon Griffiths
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 15 October 1964 – 9 April 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) |
| Nationality | English |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Sigrid Gante (1949-1985) Betty Stannard (198?-2010) Susan Donnell (2013-2014)[1] |
| Children | John, Pamela |
| 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 Grammar School. 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][4]
Career
Journalism
After university Griffiths worked in the Conservative Research Department and became a journalist and farmer. He was managing editor of Newsweek.
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 Telegraph obituary claimed he was "rangy, articulate, but dour, (Griffiths was) a political loner, and not over-popular on the Tory benches" However it listed many achievements as MP and in other spheres.[5] 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".[6]
Academia
For a brief period while an MP, Griffiths worked as a professor at the University of California, a role in which The Times said led to him being called he member for Orange County.[7]
Director appointments
Griffiths was a director of one of Gerald Carroll's Carroll Group companies.[8]
Personal life
In June 2013 he announced his third marriage, at the age of 88.[9]
He lived in California and Bury St Edmunds.
Honours
He was a Freeman of the borough of St Edmundsbury.
References
- Sir Eldon Griffiths obituary, 4 Jun 2014
- Langdon, Julia (4 June 2014). "Sir Eldon Griffiths obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- Eldon Griffiths Obituary in the Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 June 2014
- Eldon Griffith obituary in The Guardian Retrieved 4 June 2014
- Daily Telegraph, London 4 June 2014
- "No. 50154". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 1985. p. 1.
- "Times Diary". The Times. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- "SFO looks at 500m fall of Carroll empire", Dominic O'Connell, Sunday Business, 1 October 2000, p. 1.
- Bury Free Press
- The Times Guide to the House of Commons, Times Newspapers Ltd, 1966 & 1987
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs