Name Edward Baron Role Baron Castle | Died 1979 | |
Spouse Barbara Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn (m. 1944–1979) People also search for Barbara Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, Frank Betts, Annie Betts, Marjorie Betts, Jimmie Betts | ||
Edward (Edwin) "Ted" Cyril Castle, Baron Castle, (5 May 1907 – 26 December 1979) was a British journalist and politician of the Labour Party. Between 1975 and 1979 he was a Member of the European Parliament. In 1944 he married Labour politician Barbara Betts, who, as Barbara Castle, was for 34 years a Member of the House of Commons.
Contents
Early life
Castle attended Abingdon School and the Grammar School of Portsmouth and, after completing his school education, began working as a journalist.
Journalistic career
In 1932, he was news editor at the daily newspaper the Manchester Evening News, before he changed in 1943 to become night editor for the Daily Mirror.
During this time he met the young Labour politician Barbara Anne Betts, whom he married in July 1944.
In 1944 he became deputy editor in chief of Picture Post and later its editor and publisher, before being succeeded by Tom Hopkinson.
Political career
By the mid-1960s, Castle started his own political career in 1964 when he stood for the Labour Party as Assistant Secretary (Alderman) of the Greater London Council and was elected and he remained there until 1970. He also was an Alderman of the Council of the Borough of Islington.
By Letters Patent of 18 June 1974 he was created a life peer with the title Baron Castle of Islington in Greater London, and was a member of the House of Lords until his death.
From 3 July 1975 to till his death in 1979 he served as a Member of the European Parliament and was one of the first representatives of the Labour Party in the European Parliament.