Leonard James Callaghan Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC (27 March 1912 – 26 March 2005) was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980. Callaghan is to date the only politician in history to have served in all four of the "Great Offices of State", having been Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1964 to 1967, Home Secretary from 1967 to 1970, and Foreign Secretary from 1974, until his appointment as Prime Minister in 1976.Callaghan's period as Chancellor of the Exchequer coincided with a turbulent period for the British economy, during which he had to wrestle with a balance of payments deficit and speculative attacks on the pound sterling. In November 1967, the Government was forced to devalue the pound sterling despite having previously denied that this would be necessary. Callaghan offered to resign over the matter, but instead swapped ministerial positions with Roy Jenkins to become Home Secretary. In that capacity, Callaghan took the decision to use the Army to support the police in Northern Ireland, after a request from the Northern Ireland Government.After Labour lost the 1970 election, Callaghan played a key role in the Shadow Cabinet before returning to office as Foreign Secretary in 1974, taking responsibility for renegotiating the terms of Britain's membership of the European Economic Community, and supporting a "Yes" vote in the 1975 referendum for the UK to remain in the EEC. When Harold Wilson suddenly resigned as Prime Minister in 1976, Callaghan defeated five other candidates to be elected as his replacement. Labour had already lost its small majority in the House of Commons by the time he became Prime Minister, and further by-elections and defections forced Callaghan to deal with minor parties such as the Liberal Party, particularly in the "Lib-Lab pact" from 1977 to 1978. Industrial disputes and widespread strikes in the 1978 "Winter of Discontent" made Callaghan's government unpopular, and the defeat of the referendum on devolution for Scotland led to the successful passage of a motion of no confidence on 28 March 1979. This was followed by a defeat in the ensuing general election.Callaghan remained Leader of the Labour Party until 1980, to reform the process by which the Party elected its leader, before returning to the backbenches where he remained until retiring as an MP in 1987. He died in 2005, one day before his 93rd birthday. He is the longest-lived British Prime Minister to date.
[speaking about the European Economic Community] If we have to prove our Europeanism by accepting that French is the dominant language in the Community, then my answer is quite clear and I will say it in French in order to prevent any misunderstanding: non, merci beaucoup.
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The whole of politics is about taking decisions that are either bad or worse, you rarely take good ones.
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I never feel that people can be intimidated with me. How can that happen? I'm such a jolly, cheerful sort of fellow.
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In politics you don't always see the end of what you're doing - you rarely see the end of what you start out to do.
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[on never going to university] A lot of people say I'm not clever at all, I'm quite prepared to accept that - except that I became Prime Minister and they didn't, all these clever people.
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Audrey adds an essential element of middle-class stability to my working-class insecurity.
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We used to think that you could spend your way out of a recession, and increase employment by cutting taxes and boosting Government spending. I tell you in all candour that that option no longer exists.
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A lie can be half-way around the world before truth has got its boots on.
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You never reach the promised land. You can march towards it.
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Fact
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On 3 Apr 2016, BBC Parliament channel broadcast Callaghan Night to commemorate 40 years since he became Labour leader.
He died on the sixtieth anniversary of the death of David Lloyd George, one of his predecessors as British Prime Minister.
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He was the tallest Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at nearly 6'1".
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He and his wife were married for 67 years. His wife Audrey passed away on 15 March aged 91, so he was only a widower for 11 days.
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His wife, Audrey, latterly Lady Callaghan of Cardiff, was Chairman of the Great Ormond Street Hospital from 1969 to 1982. It was she who prompted Jim to amend the Copyright bill and make the Hospital's copyright of "Peter Pan" permanent.
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His eldest daughter Margaret Jay - now Baroness Jay of Paddington - was formerly Lord Privy Seal, Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women. Previously, she was Minister of State at the Department of Health.
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It is in large part due to his wife Audrey that he remained in politics after the devaluation of sterling on 18 November 1967, when he was chancellor of the exchequer. Were it not for her advice in the course of their long private discussions late into that night, he would have resigned from the government and might never have succeeded Harold Wilson as prime minister in 1976.
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He and Audrey are survived by their three children, 10 grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
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Resigned as leader of the Labour Party in 1980, the year after his general election defeat by Conservative Margaret Thatcher .
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He is the only man to have held the highest four positions in the British government: Chancellor of the Exchequer (1964-1967), Home Secretary (1967-1970), Foreign Secretary (1974-1976) and Prime Minister (1976-1979).
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He was created a Knight of the Garter by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 1979 and subsequently a life peer as the Baron Callaghan of Cardiff upon leaving the House of Commons in 1987.
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Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (April 1976 - May 1979).
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On February 14th, 2005, he became the oldest living British Prime Minister at 92 years, 10 months and 18 days old.
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
No Go: The Free Derry Story
2006
Documentary
Himself (as Lord James Callaghan)
Battle of the Bogside
2004
Documentary
Himself (as Lord James Callaghan)
Breakfast with Frost
2002
TV Series
Himself
The RDA
2001
TV Series
Himself
Diana: The Nation's Farewell
1997
TV Movie
Himself
Election 97
1997
TV Movie
Himself
A Progress Through Politics
1995
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1964-1967 / Prime Minister, 1976-1979 (as Lord Callaghan)
Television's Greatest Hits
1992
TV Series documentary
Himself
Labour's Last Premier: A Film Portrait of James Callaghan
1992
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Timewatch
1990
TV Series documentary
Himself
Question Time
1990
TV Series
Himself
This Week
1965-1989
TV Series
Himself
State of Secrecy
1987
TV Movie documentary
Himself (as Sir James Callaghan)
Labour Party Election Broadcast (21 May 1987)
1987
Documentary short
Himself
Election 83
1983
TV Movie
Himself
Reputations
1980
TV Series
Himself
Weekend World
1975-1980
TV Series
Himself
Panorama
1976-1980
TV Series documentary
Himself / Himself - Prime Minister / Himself - Leadership Contender
Decision 79
1979
TV Special
Himself (as Rt Hon James Callaghan)
TV Eye
1979
TV Series
Himself
Midweek
1974
TV Series
Himself
Election 74
1974/I
TV Movie
Himself - Labour
Yesterday's Men
1971
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Home Secretary, 1967-1970
Election 70
1970
TV Movie
Himself (as Rt. Hon. James Callaghan)
Investiture of His Royal Highness Prince Charles as Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester
1969
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Home Secretary
Frost on Friday
1968
TV Series
Himself
1964 General Election
1964
TV Special documentary
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Denis Healey: The Best Prime Minister Labour Never Had?
2015
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Prime Minister, 1976-1979 (as Jim Callaghan)
Hunt vs Lauda: F1's Greatest Racing Rivals
2013
TV Movie documentary
Himself (uncredited)
The 70s
2012
TV Series documentary
Himself
Frost on Interviews
2012
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Alan Davies' Teenage Revolution
2010
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself
The Special Relationship
2010
TV Movie
Himself (uncredited)
The Great Offices of State
2010
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself - Chancellor, 1964-67
The Queen: A Life in Film
2008
Video documentary
Himself
Thatcher
2008
Video documentary
Himself
A Matter of Time
2007
Video documentary
Himself
Tory! Tory! Tory!
2006
TV Mini-Series documentary
Himself
How We Fell for Europe
2005
TV Movie documentary
Himself - Foreign Secretary (as James Callaghan M.P.)