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 MinisterEdward Heath
Preceded byDenis Howell
Succeeded byDenis Howell
Member of Parliament
for Bury St Edmunds
In office
15 October 1964 – 9 April 1992
Preceded byWilliam Traven Aitken
Succeeded byRichard Spring
Personal details
Born(1925-05-25)25 May 1925
Wigan, Lancashire, England
Died3 June 2014(2014-06-03) (aged 89)
NationalityEnglish
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)Sigrid Gante (1949-1985)
Betty Stannard (198?-2010)
Susan Donnell (2013-2014)[1]
ChildrenJohn, Pamela
Alma materEmmanuel College, Cambridge
ProfessionJournalist 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. After 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]

Director appointments

Griffiths was a director of one of Gerald Carroll's Carroll Group companies.[7]

Personal life

In June 2013 he announced his third marriage, at the age of 88.[8]

He lived in California and Bury St Edmunds.

Honours

He was a Freeman of the borough of St Edmundsbury.

Title and style of address
  • Eldon Griffiths (1925-1964)
  • Eldon Griffiths MP (from 1964)
  • Sir Eldon Griffiths MP (from 1985-1992)
  • Sir Eldon Griffiths (from 1992)
  • Honorary Freeman Sir Eldon Griffiths (from 2007)

References
  1. Sir Eldon Griffiths obituary, 4 Jun 2014
  2. Langdon, Julia (4 June 2014). "Sir Eldon Griffiths obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  3. Eldon Griffiths Obituary in the Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 June 2014
  4. Eldon Griffith obituary in The Guardian Retrieved 4 June 2014
  5. Daily Telegraph, London 4 June 2014
  6. "No. 50154". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 1985. p. 1.
  7. "SFO looks at 500m fall of Carroll empire", Dominic O'Connell, Sunday Business, 1 October 2000, p. 1.
  8. Bury Free Press
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
William Aitken		 Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds
1964–1992		 Succeeded by
Richard Spring
Political offices
Preceded by
Denis Howell		 Minister for Sport
1970–1974		 Succeeded by
Denis Howell


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