William Barnetson, Baron Barnetson

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William Denholm Barnetson, Baron Barnetson Kt (born March 21, 1917 in Edinburgh , † March 12, 1981 in London ) was a British journalist , publisher and television manager, who was chairman of the board of directors of the news and press agency Reuters for eleven years and was a life peer in 1975 became a member of the House of Lords under the Life Peerages Act 1958 .

Life

University degree, World War II and managing director of United Newspapers

Barnetson graduated from the University of Edinburgh after attending the Royal High School . He began his journalistic career in the mid-1930s as a reporter for university politics for the Sunday newspaper The Edinburgh Sunday Times and as a freelance correspondent for British daily newspapers during the Spanish Civil War . During the Second World War he did his military service and was promoted to Second Lieutenant on December 28, 1940 . He later was used as a commander of an air defense - battery and was last to Colonel promoted.

After the war he was tasked with rebuilding the press and publishing industry in war-torn West Germany and during this time he played a key role in founding the daily newspaper Die Welt on April 2, 1946. After his return to Edinburgh in 1948, he worked for the Edinburgh Evening News , where he was initially an editorial writer , editor and finally managing director. In 1958 he became Esquire des Order of Saint John .

In 1962 he was first director and, since 1966, managing director of United Newspapers , which was transformed from regional newspapers to a group of thirty morning, evening and weekly newspapers through its purchasing policy. The group included newspapers like Yorkshire Post , Sheffield Telegraph , Sheffield Star , Leeds Evening Post , Lancashire Evening Post and Blackpool Gazette and Satire - magazine Punch .

Chairman of Reuters and Member of the House of Lords

After Barnetson was chairman of the press association BPA ( British Press Association ) between 1967 and 1968 and then chairman of the news and press agency Reuters from 1968 to 1979. In addition, he was chairman of the to ITV belonging television Thames Television and the Sunday paper The Observer and also temporarily Commonwealth Press Agency.

By a letters patent from July 14, 1975 Barnetson, who had been ennobled as a Knight Bachelor on February 3, 1972 and henceforth had the suffix "Sir" and in 1973 was Officer of the Order of Saint John, was named Baron Barnetson , of Crowborough in the County of East Sussex, a Life Peer and was a member of the House of Lords until his death. His official introduction ( Introduction ) to the House of Lords took place on October 22, 1975 with the assistance of Charles Moore, 11th Earl of Drogheda and Arnold Goodman, Baron Goodman .

Baron Barnetson, who was also promoted to the Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of Saint John, continued to hold various positions in the private sector and was Vice Chairman of the conglomerate British Electric Traction and a member of the boards of the Bank of Scotland and the English National Opera (ENO).

He died of heart and lung surgery in London's Westminster Hospital .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 35056, HMSO, London, January 28, 1941, p. 543 ( PDF , accessed November 11, 2013, English).
  2. ↑ London Gazette . No. 41437, HMSO, London, July 4, 1958, p. 4214 ( PDF , accessed November 11, 2013, English).
  3. ↑ London Gazette . No. 45595, HMSO, London, February 10, 1972, p. 1686 ( PDF , accessed November 11, 2013, English).
  4. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 46043, HMSO, London, August 2, 1973, p. 9133 ( PDF , accessed November 11, 2013, English).
  5. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 46593, HMSO, London, June 6, 1975, p. 7369 ( PDF , accessed November 11, 2013, English).
  6. ↑ London Gazette . No. 46634, HMSO, London, July 17, 1975, p. 9083 ( PDF , accessed November 11, 2013, English).
  7. ^ Entry in Hansard (October 22, 1975)
personal data
SURNAME Barnetson, William, Baron Barnetson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Barnetson, William Denholm, Baron Barnetson (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British newspaper publisher and television manager
DATE OF BIRTH March 21, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Edinburgh
DATE OF DEATH March 12, 1981
Place of death London