| The Right Honourable The Lord Ennals PC |
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| In office 8 April 1976 – 4 May 1979 |
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| Prime Minister | James Callaghan |
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| Preceded by | Barbara Castle |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Jenkin |
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| Born | 19 August 1922 Walsall, Staffordshire, England |
| Died | 17 June 1995 (aged 72) Belsize Park, London, England |
| Birth name | David Hedley Ennals |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Relations | Martin Ennals (brother) Sir Paul Ennals (son) |
| Occupation | Politician |
David Hedley Ennals, Baron Ennals PC (19 August 1922 – 17 June 1995) was a British Labour Party politician and campaigner for human rights. He served as Secretary of State for Social Services from 1976 to 1979.
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Early life and military career
Born in 1922 to Arthur Ford Ennals and his wife Jessie Edith Taylor, Ennals was educated at Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall and the Loomis Institute in Windsor, Connecticut on a one-year student exchange scholarship.[1] In 1939 he was a reporter on the Walsall Observer and during World War II he served in the Royal Armoured Corps from 1941 to 1945; he was invalided out with the rank of Captain. He served in North Africa, Italy and the Rhine Crossing. He was captured during the Normandy assault on D-Day and spent several months as a prisoner of war.[2]
Political life
Ennals stood unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate for Richmond (Surrey) in the 1950 general election and again in 1951.[3] He later joined the Labour Party and served as secretary to the international department at the Labour Party's head office.
In 1964 he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Dover. Following the 1966 election, Harold Wilson appointed Ennals as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Army. He moved to become Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department in 1967 under James Callaghan before being appointed as a Minister of State for Social Services in 1968. He lost his government post and his seat following Labour's defeat in the 1970 general election.
Ennals returned to parliament representing Norwich North following the February 1974 general election as was appointed Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. In 1976 he became Secretary of State for Social Services[4], which he held until Labour lost power in 1979. During his tenure he appointed Sir Douglas Black to produce the Black Report (published in 1980) into health inequality. After losing his seat in the general election of 1983, he was created a life peer, as Baron Ennals, of Norwich in the County of Norfolk.[5]
Other work
Following his exit from parliament in 1970, Ennals became Campaign Director for the National Association for Mental Health (MIND), which he served as until 1973. He became Chairman in 1984, and served as President from 1989 to 1995.
After serving as secretary to the United Nations Association from 1952 to 1957, he became Chairman in 1984, as well as Chairman of the Gandhi Foundation, which he held until 1995.
Personal life
Ennals married Eleanor Maud Caddick (born 1924/1925) on 10 June 1950, and they had four children before they divorced in 1977. Later that year he married Katherine Gene Tranoy (born 1926/1927).
Ennals's younger brother, Martin Ennals, was a human rights activist and Secretary-General of Amnesty International. His son, Sir Paul Ennals, is chief executive of the National Children's Bureau.
He died in 1995 of pancreatic cancer at his home in Belsize Park, London.
Footnotes
- ^ Who was Who, OUP 2007
- ^ Who's Who of 475 Liberal Candidates Fighting the 1950 General Election. Liberal Publications Dept. 1950.
- ^ UK General Election results: October 1951
- ^ House of Commons Library: Members Since 1979
- ^ London Gazette: no. 49477, p. 12063, 14 September 1983. Retrieved on 2009-09-13.
References
- Dalyell, Tam (19 June 1995). "Obituary: Lord Ennals". The Independant. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituarylord-ennals-1587195.html. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- "Lord Ennals; Ex-Cabinet Minister, 72". The New York Times. 19 June 1995. http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/19/obituaries/lord-ennals-ex-cabinet-minister-72.html. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- Glennerster, Howard (May 2008). "Ennals, David Hedley, Baron Ennals (1922–1995)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/59129. Retrieved 2009-09-13. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by David Ennals
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir John Arbuthnot, Bt |
Member of Parliament for Dover 1964–1970 |
Succeeded by Peter Rees |
| Preceded by George Wallace |
Member of Parliament for Norwich North February 1974–1983 |
Succeeded by Patrick Thompson |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Barbara Castle |
Secretary of State for Social Services 1976–1979 |
Succeeded by Patrick Jenkin |
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