Patrick Ensor

Patrick Ensor (2 December 1946 – 1 July 2007) was a British newspaper journalist. He was the editor of Guardian Weekly from 1993 until his death in 2007.

Early life and career

Patrick Ensor was born in December 1946 in Bournemouth. His father, Michael de Normann Ensor, was a civil servant in Gold Coast (now Ghana), whose mother was the theosophical educationist Beatrice Ensor. He was educated at St George's school in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, until he was 10, then at Bryanston School in Dorset. He studied philosophy and economics at the University of Bristol.[1][2]

Ensor's early journalism posts were at The Yorkshire Post, Oxford Mail, Times Higher Education Supplement, Screen International and the Tower community newspaper.[1] He joined The Guardian in 1974[2] as a features subeditor and he became the Arts Editor in 1980.[1] He was associate/features editor of the Wellington, New Zealand newspaper The Dominion from 1985–91,[2] where he helped editor Geoff Bayliss "rejuvenate" the paper.[3] While at The Dominion he trained the poet Andrew Johnston as a subeditor.[4] He returned to the UK in 1992 to rejoin The Guardian as a features subeditor before becoming the editor of Guardian Weekly in 1993, in succession to John Perkin.[1] Ensor wrote for the Pacific Journalism Review in 2003,[5] and contributed once a fortnight to Radio New Zealand.[1]

Alan Rusbridger said of Ensor: "He was a punctilious editor of the old school as well as a quick-witted, tireless and kind colleague."[1] Roger Alton said he was "a ferociously sharp journalist, clever, dedicated, hugely industrious - shamingly so to many of his colleagues like me - and hugely creative."[6] Ensor's deputy editor, Natalie Bennett, became editor after he died.

Personal life

Ensor was married to Judith Thomas, an artist and naturopath osteopath. He sang in a choir, swam, and played cricket, football, tennis and golf. He was diagnosed with auto-immune haemolytic anemia in February 2007 and died that July at his holiday home in Provence.[1] He was survived by his wife, author and creator of Portals of Light Meditation Cards, and by his brother Jeremy. His niece, Josie, was the Middle East correspondent for The Daily Telegraph based in Beirut and recently won the annual Marie Colvin Award and an Amnesty International Award. She is now based in New York for the The Daily Telegraph. His nephew, Charlie, is currently a Media Officer for Lloyds Bank Foundation based in London.

References
  1. McNay, Michael (3 July 2007). "Obituary: Patrick Ensor". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  2. Cohen, David (26 July 2007). "Dynamic Guardian Weekly editor left legacy here". National Business Review. New Zealand. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  3. "Obituary" (PDF). Traders. British-New Zealand Trade Council. August 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  4. Rabbitt, Lindsay. "At sunset". New Zealand Listener. 24 March 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  5. "Pacific Journalism Review features Iraq media war". Pacific Media Watch. AUT Communication Studies. 21 September 2003. Archived from the original on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  6. Alton, Roger (4 July 2007). "Appreciation - Patrick Ensor". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
Media offices
Preceded by
John Perkin		 Editor of The Guardian Weekly
1993–2007		 Succeeded by
Natalie Bennett
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