Name Edward Baron Profession Economist | Spouse(s) Vanessa Williams Nationality British Children Liz George | |
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Born 16 September 1938
Carshalton ( 1938-09-16 ) Alma mater Emanuel College, Cambridge Died April 18, 2009, St Tudy, United Kingdom Succeeded by Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury Books Central Banking and Monetary Policy, Inflation Targeting in the UK Monetary Policy Framework Education Dulwich College, University of Cambridge Similar People Mervyn King - Baron Kin, Alan Budd, Charles Goodhart, Charlie Bean, Kate Barker | ||
Preceded by Robin Leigh-Pemberton | ||
Edward Alan John George, Baron George (16 September 1938 – 18 April 2009), known as Eddie George, or "Steady Eddie", was Governor of the Bank of England from 1993 to 2003 and sat on the board of Rothschild.
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Early life
George was born and grew up in Carshalton, the son of Alan, a Post Office clerk, and his wife Olive. He attended the independent school Dulwich College on a scholarship. He carried out his National Service at the Joint Services School for Linguists, where he learnt to speak Russian. He attended and graduated from Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
Financial career
George joined the Bank of England in 1962. Apart from secondments to Moscow State University, the Bank for International Settlements and the International Monetary Fund, he remained there throughout his career.
After three years as Deputy Governor, he was appointed Governor of the Bank of England in 1993, succeeding Robin Leigh-Pemberton, who became Lord Kingsdown, and retired on the completion of his second five-year term of office on 30 June 2003. During the early part of his governance his successful relationship with the former Chancellor Ken Clarke gained for them the nickname of 'the Ken and Eddie Show'. Upon Labour coming to power the Bank was given independence in setting UK interest rates by Gordon Brown, the incoming Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was succeeded as Governor of the Bank of England in July 2003 by Mervyn King.
George attracted controversy in 1998 when he was widely reported to have made a statement to London newspaper executives implying that unemployment in the north of England was a price worth paying to preserve affluence in the south of the country. He later claimed that his remarks had been misconstrued.
Later life
George served as a Governor of his former school, Dulwich College, between 1998 and 2008, and served as the Chairman of the Governors between 2003 and 2008.
On 18 April 2009, George, a heavy smoker, died of lung cancer.
Personal life
George married Vanessa George, Lady George (née Williams) in Surrey in 1962. They had three children. Lady George died in March 2017.
Honours
George was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in the 2000 Birthday Honours. He was made a life peer in June 2004 as Baron George, of St Tudy in the County of Cornwall. He was awarded an honorary D.Sc. by the University of Buckingham on 4 March 2000, and appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Cornwall in March 2006.