George Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Thomson of Monifieth KT PC DL FRSE
George Thomson in 1973
European Commissioner for Regional Policy
In office 6 January 1973 – 5 January 1977
President	François-Xavier Ortoli
Preceded by	Albert Borschette
Succeeded by	Antonio Giolitti
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
In office 8 July 1970 – 10 April 1972
Leader	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Geoffrey Rippon
Succeeded by	Fred Peart
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 6 October 1969 – 20 June 1970
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Frederick Lee
Succeeded by	Anthony Barber
In office 6 April 1966 – 7 January 1967
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Douglas Houghton
Succeeded by	Frederick Lee
Minister without Portfolio
In office 17 October 1968 – 6 October 1969
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Patrick Gordon-Walker
Succeeded by	The Lord Drumalbyn
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
In office 29 August 1967 – 17 October 1968
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Herbert Bowden
Succeeded by	Michael Stewart (foreign and Commonwealth affairs)
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 23 March 1977 – 3 October 2008 Life peerage
Member of Parliament for Dundee East
In office 17 July 1952 – 1 March 1973
Preceded by	Thomas Cook
Succeeded by	George Machin
Personal details
Born	(1921-01-16)16 January 1921 Penn, Buckinghamshire, England
Died	3 October 2008(2008-10-03) (aged 87) London, England
Political party	Labour (before 1981) SDP (1981–1988) Liberal Democrats (from 1988)
Spouse	Grace Jenkins ​ (m. 1948)​
Children	2, including Caroline

George Morgan Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth (born January 16, 1921 – died October 3, 2008) was an important British politician and journalist. He was a member of the Labour Party and served as a Member of Parliament (MP). He also held positions in Harold Wilson's government and later became a European Commissioner.

In the 1980s, he joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP). After the SDP joined with the Liberal Party, he became a Liberal Democrat. He then served as a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament.

Early Life and Journalism

George Thomson grew up in Dundee, Scotland, and went to Grove Academy. When he was 16, he started working as a reporter for a local newspaper company called DC Thomson. This company also published popular comics.

He became the deputy editor of the famous comic The Dandy. For a short time, he was even its editor when he was only 18 years old.

In 1940, George left his job to join the Royal Air Force during World War II. Because of problems with his eyesight, he worked on the ground for RAF Fighter Command. After the war in 1946, he returned to DC Thomson. However, he left the company because they disagreed about his right to join a trade union.

After that, he became the assistant editor, and later the editor, of Forward. This was a socialist newspaper based in Scotland, and he worked there from 1946 to 1953.

Political Career Highlights

George Thomson tried to become a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1950 and 1951 but was not successful. In 1952, he won a special election for Dundee East. He served as the MP for this area until 1972.

Roles in Government

During his time in Parliament, George Thomson held several important jobs in the government led by Harold Wilson.

• From 1964 to 1966, he was a Minister of State in the Foreign Office.
• He served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster twice, from 1966 to 1967 and again from 1969 to 1970.
• From 1967 to 1968, he was the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs. In this role, he worked on finding a solution for Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and put in place rules against its government.
• He was also a Minister without Portfolio from 1968 to 1969. This means he was a minister without a specific department.

European and Broadcasting Work

In 1973, George Thomson became one of the first British Commissioners for the European Community (EC). He was in charge of regional policy until 1977. This role involved helping different regions in Europe.

Later, from 1981 to 1988, he was the chairman of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA). During this time, he helped launch new TV channels like Channel 4 and TV-am.

Other Important Positions

George Thomson held many other significant roles:

• He was the Chair of the Advertising Standards Authority from 1977 to 1980.
• He was the First Crown Estate Commissioner from 1977 to 1980.
• He was a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life from 1994 to 1997.
• He also served as Deputy Chair of the Woolwich Building Society from 1988 to 1991.
• He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Television Society.

Later Life and Death

George Thomson moved to Charing, Kent, with his wife, Grace. He served as the Party President for the Ashford Liberal Democrats from 1999 to 2006.

He passed away on October 3, 2008, at St Thomas' Hospital in London. He died from a viral infection. He was survived by his wife, Grace (who passed away in 2014), and their two daughters, Ailsa and Caroline. Caroline later became the chief operating officer of the BBC.

Honours and Awards

George Thomson received several special honours during his life:

• In 1966, he became a Privy Counsellor. This is an honour given to senior politicians.
• In 1973, he received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University.
• On March 23, 1977, he was made a Life Peer. This meant he became Baron Thomson of Monifieth, which gave him a seat in the House of Lords for the rest of his life.
• In 1981, he was made a Knight of the Thistle. This is a very high honour in Scotland.

See also

In Spanish: George Thomson para niños