David English (editor)

Sir David English (26 May 1931 — 10 June 1998) was a British journalist and newspaper editor, best known for his two-decade editorship of the Daily Mail.[1]

Sir David English
Born	26 May 1931 Oxford, England
Died	10 June 1998 (aged 67) London, England
Education	Bournemouth School
Spouse(s)	Irene Mainwood ​ ​ (m. 1954; his death 1998)​
Children	3

Early life

English was born in Oxford, and educated at Bournemouth School.[2] Aged 16, he joined the local Christchurch Times and then had a brief period with the News in Portsmouth, moving to London before he was 20.

Career

English began his national newspaper career at the Daily Mirror in 1951, before moving to the Daily Sketch firstly as Features Editor and then Editor. He took up the editorship of the Daily Mail in 1971, a post he held until 1992, when he became Chairman and Editor-in-chief of Associated Newspapers, the Mail's parent company.[3] At a Mail summer party at Hampton Court, Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere described English in a speech as the creator of the modern Daily Mail—much to the discomfort of English's successor, Paul Dacre, who was sitting beside him. This was reported in English's obituary in The Times.[4]

A prominent supporter of the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher, English was knighted in 1982. He was appointed a life peer in 1998, but died a few days before the official ceremony.[5]

Personal life

English married Irene Mainwood in 1954, and they had three children. He died in London.

References

1. "Sir David English | British journalist and editor". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
2. Lancaster, Terence (12 June 1998). "Obituary: Sir David English". The Independent. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
3. "Obituary: Sir David English". The Independent. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
4. "BBC News | UK | Newspaper chief English dies". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
5. Ibrahim, Youssef M. (12 June 1998). "Sir David English, a Top Editor On Fleet Street, Is Dead at 67". New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2015.

• "Newspaper chief English dies". BBC NEWS. 10 June 1998. Retrieved 6 March 2007.