Anthony Crosland
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Charles Anthony Raven Crosland (1918-1977) was a British politician and Labour member of Parliament.
Educated at Highgate School and Trinity College, Oxford, Crosland served as a parachutist in Europe during the Second World War. He entered Parliament in 1950, and wrote the book The Future Of Socialism in 1956 in which he outlined his vision for the future. He was a friend and protegé of Hugh Gaitskell and under Harold Wilson was Secretary of State for Education and Science (1965-1967) and President of the Board of Trade (1967-1969). It is often claimed that he said "if there's one thing I do, I will smash every fucking grammar school in the country", probably when he was Education Secretary from 1965-67.
He was seen as a leader of the right wing of the party in the 1970s, and after Labour's return to power in 1974, he was Secretary of State for the Environment, till 1976 when he was made Foreign Secretary. He died following a series of strokes in 1977.
Bibliography
- Friends and Rivals: Crosland, Jenkins and Healey - Giles Radice, 2002, Little Brown, ISBN 0 316 85547 2
| Preceded by: Michael Stewart | Secretary of State for Education and Science 1965–1967 | Followed by: Patrick Gordon Walker |
| Preceded by: Douglas Jay | President of the Board of Trade 1967–1969 | Followed by: Roy Mason |
| Preceded by: — | Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional Planning 1969–1970 | Followed by: — |
| Preceded by: Geoffrey Rippon | Secretary of State for the Environment 1974–1976 | Followed by: Peter Shore |
| Preceded by: James Callaghan | Foreign Secretary 1976–1977 | Followed by: David Owen |