Roy studied at University College (present-day Cardiff University), Cardiff.
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
Oxford OX1 3BJ, United Kingdom
Roy studied at Balliol College, Oxford, where he took first-class honors in politics, philosophy, and economics in 1941.
Career
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
1968
United Kingdom
American film director George Cukor, British politician, and author Roy Jenkins, and Polish-born American independent film producer Sam Spiegel, October 1968.
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
1968
British Labour politician Roy Jenkins, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, March 1968.
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
1970
Blackpool, United Kingdom
British politician and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Roy Jenkins speaks from the platform at the Labour Party annual conference in Blackpool on 1st October 1970.
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
1970
Blackpool, United Kingdom
British Labour Party politician and Shadow Home Secretary, James Callaghan makes a speech from the platform as Shadow Chancellor Roy Jenkins sits alongside at the Labour Party annual conference in Blackpool, England in September 1970. (Photo by Rolls Press)
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
1974
Birmingham, United Kingdom
British politician Roy Jenkins accompanied by policemen as he visits Birmingham after two pub bombings hit the city, which took place on 21st November 1974, in Birmingham, West Midlands, England, 23rd November 1974. The bombings, which were attributed to the Provisional IRA, took place in two central Birmingham pubs, killing 21 and injuring 182 people.
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
1975
United Kingdom
British Labour Party, SDP, and Liberal Democrat politician, and biographer Roy Jenkins meets the press, February 1975.
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
1978
Brussels, Belgium
Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales (left) with Roy Jenkins, President of the EEC Commissioners, at the EEC headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, December 1978. (Photo by Keystone)
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
1981
London, United Kingdom
Social Democratic Party (SDP) leaders, Roy Jenkins, David Owen, William Rodgers, and Shirley Williams take part in a press conference to launch the SDP at the Connaught rooms in London on 26th March 1981.
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
1984
Bournemouth, United Kingdom
British Social Democratic Party politician Roy Jenkins and British Liberal Party politician David Steel pose holding up t-shirts in support of GCHQ trade unions, at the Liberal Party Conference in Bournemouth, Dorset, 20th September 1984.
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
Photo of Roy Jenkins
Gallery of Roy Jenkins
United Kingdom
Portrait of Labour Party politician Roy Jenkins, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, sitting in a first-class train carriage as he returns to his constituency in Manchester following his decision to vote in the House of Commons to join the European Common Market, November 1st 1971.
American film director George Cukor, British politician, and author Roy Jenkins, and Polish-born American independent film producer Sam Spiegel, October 1968.
British politician and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Roy Jenkins speaks from the platform at the Labour Party annual conference in Blackpool on 1st October 1970.
British Labour Party politician and Shadow Home Secretary, James Callaghan makes a speech from the platform as Shadow Chancellor Roy Jenkins sits alongside at the Labour Party annual conference in Blackpool, England in September 1970. (Photo by Rolls Press)
British politician Roy Jenkins accompanied by policemen as he visits Birmingham after two pub bombings hit the city, which took place on 21st November 1974, in Birmingham, West Midlands, England, 23rd November 1974. The bombings, which were attributed to the Provisional IRA, took place in two central Birmingham pubs, killing 21 and injuring 182 people.
Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales (left) with Roy Jenkins, President of the EEC Commissioners, at the EEC headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, December 1978. (Photo by Keystone)
Social Democratic Party (SDP) leaders, Roy Jenkins, David Owen, William Rodgers, and Shirley Williams take part in a press conference to launch the SDP at the Connaught rooms in London on 26th March 1981.
British Social Democratic Party politician Roy Jenkins and British Liberal Party politician David Steel pose holding up t-shirts in support of GCHQ trade unions, at the Liberal Party Conference in Bournemouth, Dorset, 20th September 1984.
Portrait of Labour Party politician Roy Jenkins, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, sitting in a first-class train carriage as he returns to his constituency in Manchester following his decision to vote in the House of Commons to join the European Common Market, November 1st 1971.
(First published in 1964, Asquith was one of the most cruc...)
First published in 1964, Asquith was one of the most crucial and controversial of modern Prime Ministers. He was opposed to bitterness and violence that English politicians have not subsequently known, yet he enjoyed eight and a half years of unbroken power, and for at least the first six years of these he presided with an easy authority over the most talented government of this century. The issues which he confronted were momentous - Peers v. People, Ireland, and the Great War. Bringing to bear exceptional knowledge, judgment, insight, and tolerance, he survived them all. His fall seemed therefore all the more shocking.
(First published in 1984, this is the first biography of S...)
First published in 1984, this is the first biography of Stanley Baldwin for more than ten years, although there had been four in the preceding decade. This is strange, for Baldwin has recently begun to swim back into fashion. In part, this is a function of growing nostalgia for his period of power, the 1920s and 1930s. Still more, however, it is " because Mrs. Thatcher's brand of Conservative leadership has made him an object of contrasting interest in a way that Harold Macmillan's or Edward Heath's never did. When a new exponent of an alternative style temporarily achieves notice, it is now frequently suggested that he might be a new Baldwin. This reappraisal is therefore appropriately timed. It is written by a skilled political biographer, from a non-Conservative, although not personally unsympathetic, standpoint. Baldwin was born in 1867, the son of a rich Worcestershire ironmaster, and educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. He then worked in the family business for twenty years.
(In his time, Harry S. Truman was one of the most underrat...)
In his time, Harry S. Truman was one of the most underrated presidents of the 20th century. Succeeding the charismatic Roosevelt, he was often seen as an uninspiring leader, a poor diplomat, and a fumbling politician. He was the first man to authorize the use of nuclear weapons and was in office at the time when the multiplicity of hopes which arose at the end of the Second World War were inevitably disappointed. Nothing could be further from Roy Jenkins' view of him. This is the first biography of Truman to be written by an author with anything approaching the subject's own range of political experience, and Roy Jenkins brings to this book a quality of appreciation of Truman's political skills which has not been seen before.
(First published in 1989, this diary provides the backgrou...)
First published in 1989, this diary provides the background to two vital issues: our relations with the European Community and the state of politics in Britain. Few people are better qualified to know how we arrived where we are than Roy Jenkins. During the period of this diary, he was President of the European Commission. The diary provides a picture of the day-to-day life of the head of an international organization, of the conflicting pressures and grinding routine, of the importance of personal relationships with world leaders such as Helmut Schmidt, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, Willy Brandt, Jean Monnet, and Jimmy Carter. In addition to the political chronicle, we have frank and sometimes unguarded revelations about the author, his tastes and preoccupations, from which emerges a man more imbued with public passion, more eccentric and with a more varied private life than many readers may expect. His subtle perception of people is revealed in brilliant portraits of, for example, Schmidt, pessimistic, streaked with melancholy, indiscreet and yet notably constructive, and Giscard d'Estaing, highly intelligent but with pretensions that sometimes make him faintly ludicrous.
A Life at the Center: Memoirs of a Radical Reformer
(One of Britain's most important political leaders recount...)
One of Britain's most important political leaders recounts his odyssey through British and world politics and offers penetrating portraits of Wilson, Thatcher, the Kennedys, Nixon, and other memorable personalities.
(In Portraits and Miniatures, Roy Jenkins brings his penet...)
In Portraits and Miniatures, Roy Jenkins brings his penetrating intelligence and elegant prose to subjects ranging from literature and political history to wine and croquet. Long experience in both Houses of Parliament and as President of the European Commission has given him unparalleled insight into political figures such as R. A. Butler, Aneurin Bevan, Konrad Adenauer, and de Gaulle.
(From the New York Times bestselling author of Churchill, ...)
From the New York Times bestselling author of Churchill, a towering historical biography, available for the first time in paperback. William Gladstone was, with Tennyson, Newman, Dickens, Carlyle, and Darwin, one of the stars of nineteenth-century British life. He spent sixty-three of his eighty-nine years in the House of Commons and was prime minister four times, a unique accomplishment. From his critical role in the formation of the Liberal Party to his preoccupation with the cause of Irish Home Rule, he was a commanding politician and statesman nonpareil.
(Winston Churchill is an icon of modern history, but even ...)
Winston Churchill is an icon of modern history, but even though he was at the forefront of the political scene for almost 60 years, he might be remembered only as a minor player in the drama of the British government had it not been for World War II. In this magisterial book, Roy Jenkins' unparalleled command of the political history of Britain and his own high-level government experience combine in a narrative account of Churchill's astounding career that is unmatched in its shrewd insights, its unforgettable anecdotes, the clarity of its overarching themes, and the author's nuanced appreciation of his extraordinary subject. From a very young age, Churchill believed he was destined to play a great role in the life of his nation, and he determined to prepare himself. Jenkins shows in fascinating detail how Churchill educated himself for greatness, how he worked out his livelihood (writing) as well as his professional life (politics), how he situated himself at every major site or moment in British imperial and governmental life.
Roy Harris Jenkins was a British Labour politician and author. He was a leading member of the cabinet before becoming president of the European Community and later a founder of the Social Democratic Party.
Background
Roy Jenkins was born on November 11, 1920, in Abersychan, United Kingdom. He was the son of Arthur Jenkins, a Welsh miner who became an officer of his union and later a Labour member of Parliament. Roy's mother, Hattie, was also an influential local figure. Both parents had lofty ambitions for their son.
Education
Roy attended Pentwyn Primary School and Abersychan Grammar School. He also studied at University College (present-day Cardiff University), Cardiff, and Balliol College, Oxford, where he took first-class honors in politics, philosophy, and economics in 1941, having already been active in student politics and debate.
Roy Jenkins served in the Royal Artillery from 1942 to 1946, rising to captain in 1944. Even before he was demobilized Jenkins entered politics, contesting the seat for Solihull unsuccessfully in the general election of 1945. He filled in the years 1946 to 1948 working for the Industrial and Commercial Financial Corporation. In 1948 Jenkins obtained his seat in Parliament after winning a by-election for Central Southwark; from 1950 to 1976 he sat for Stechford, Birmingham. He held office only briefly under Prime Minister Clement Attlee, in 1949-1950 as parliamentary private secretary to the secretary for Commonwealth relations. He early showed his interest in European Union, serving as a United Kingdom delegate to the Council of Europe from 1955 to 1957. He belonged to the moderate side of the Labour Party and was Fabian Society chairman from 1957 to 1958.
When the Labour Party was out of power, Jenkins occasionally held directorships or consultantships for various businesses; he also served on the boards of the Society of Authors and the British Film Institute.
When Labour returned to power in 1964, Jenkins entered Harold Wilson's cabinet as minister for aviation. Hitherto known as a party intellectual and debater, he showed himself in the office to be an excellent administrator and was promoted in 1965 to the home secretary, roughly equivalent to being United States attorney general and HUD secretary. Both as a backbencher and as home secretary Jenkins was instrumental in ending capital punishment and literary censorship and easing divorce and abortion laws. He moved up to chancellor of the exchequer in 1967. Here he distinguished himself by devaluing the pound -a measure he had supported earlier - and courageously retrenching spending and raising taxes. In the controversy over wage and price control which divided the Labour Party in 1969, Jenkins supported Prime Minister Wilson. In the general election of 1970, Labour was defeated, despite an economic upturn to which Jenkins' measures may have contributed. He lost his office but became deputy leader of the party in opposition.
Seemingly on the way to the party leadership and perhaps the prime ministry, Jenkins' career was sidetracked by his commitment to Europe and the Common Market, which Britain joined in 1972. When the Labour Party insisted on holding a referendum on British entry, Jenkins resigned as deputy leader. The referendum was held in 1975 after Labour had regained power. Though again holding cabinet office, Jenkins, as president of "Britain in Europe," led the pro-Common Market campaign, which triumphed.
When Labour returned to office in the general elections of 1974, Jenkins joined Harold Wilson's second ministry, once again as home secretary. Wilson's abrupt decision to retire in March 1976 opened a contest for the succession. Jenkins was a candidate, but he proved to have little support in the party. In the first ballot of the Labour members of Parliament, Jenkins came in third; he eventually dropped out, his votes mostly going to the winner, James Callaghan. Jenkins continued as home secretary, but he was glad to accept election, when Britain's turn came round, as president of the European Commission, the executive branch of the Common Market. A devoted Europeanist, Jenkins served as "President of Europe" from 1977 to 1981, holding a position of much prestige though limited power. Honours poured in on him from many countries.
Returning to British politics in 1981, Jenkins was dismayed by the leftward drift of his Labour Party, again out of office, and the absence of a credible opposition to Margaret Thatcher's Tory government. He became the senior leader in the formation of a centrist third party, the Social Democratic Party, drawing support mainly from disillusioned Labourites and agreeing to cooperate for electoral purposes with the small Liberal Party as the "Alliance." Jenkins contested the Warrington seat, unsuccessfully but credibly, in 1981. He was elected for Glasgow Hillhead in 1982 and became the first leader of the Social Democratic Party in Parliament. But in the general election of 1983, Margaret Thatcher, fresh from her Falklands victory, overwhelmed all opposition. Jenkins kept his seat, but he was ousted from the leadership of his small parliamentary party by the younger David Owen. Seven years after its founding, the new party collapsed without getting near power.
In 1986, Jenkins was elected Chancellor of Oxford University. He wrote numerous books, including biographies such as "Asquith: Portrait of a Man and an Era" (1964), "Baldwin" (1987), "Gladstone" (1995) won the Whitbread Prize for Biography, and "Churchill" (2001) was short-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize, and political works such as "Mr Balfour's Poodle: Peers vs. People" (1954), "The Labour Case" (1959), and "Afternoon on the Potomac?: A British View of America's Changing Position in the World" (1972). "A Life at the Centre: Memoirs of a Radical Reformer" (1991) recounts Jenkins's own political career.
Roy Jenkins was heavily involved in politics throughout his life, overseeing the reform of laws concerning capital and corporal punishment, homosexuality, divorce, abortion, and race relations during his time in parliament.
For the first half of his career, Jenkins was a key figure in Labour politics. In the 1970s, particularly from 1972, he became a semi-detached member of the party, even when a cabinet minister. For the final half of his life, as a Social Democrat and then a Liberal Democrat, he worked to create a broader center-left coalition, including but looking beyond the Labour Party. Throughout, he was committed to libertarianism, a mixed economy, and internationalism. Unlike his friend and, later, a political rival, Tony Crosland, he did not espouse a political philosophy. He seemed to believe that, if you found 20 men and women of a liberal disposition, goodwill, and minds of their own, the government could function almost by instinct; it did not need an ideology.
Personality
Quotes from others about the person
"Roy Jenkins is irreplaceable. He was that rare thing, a politician who cared deeply for literature, and a fine writer who was also a powerful politician who civilized our society. We owe to him, as our best Home Secretary, the facts that we have sensible laws on abortion and no longer hang people or imprison gays. He also introduced the defense of literary merit into the law on obscenity. He cared as deeply for the RSL, he said, as he did for Oxford, where he was Chancellor. His presence at meetings was always a joy. His life of Dilke is one of the most entertaining biographies, and his great life of Churchill was written in his 80th year. He loved gossip, jokes, good wine, and the company of women. A great and kindly light has gone out and made these dark days seem even darker." - John Mortimer
"Lord Jenkins made it very clear to me, his secretary, that in his later years there were only two vitally important organizations with which he was proud to be associated and about which he felt passionately. They were, of course, the Royal Society of Literature and the University of Oxford." - Gimma Macpherson
Interests
Sport & Clubs
Cricket, rugby, swimming
Connections
Roy married Mary Jennifer Morris in 1945. They had three children: Charles and Edward, and Cynthia.