Peter Preston
Peter Preston | |
---|---|
Born | Peter John Preston 23 May 1938 Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, England |
Died | 6 January 2018 | (aged 79)
Education | Loughborough Grammar School |
Alma mater | St John's College, Oxford |
Occupation(s) | Journalist, author, and editor |
Title | Editor, The Guardian |
Term | 1975–1995 |
Predecessor | Alastair Hetherington |
Successor | Alan Rusbridger |
Spouse | Jean Burrell |
Children | 4, including Ben Preston |
Relatives | Janice Turner (daughter-in-law) |
Peter John Preston (23 May 1938 – 6 January 2018) was a British journalist and author. He was editor of The Guardian for twenty years, from 1975 to 1995.
Early life
Peter Preston was born in Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, the son of John Preston, a greengrocery business manager, and his wife, Kathlyn Preston (née Chell).[1] He grew up in the village of Quorn, two miles south of Loughborough.[1]
His father died from polio when Preston was a child, and he subsequently caught the disease; he spent 18 months in and out of hospital, including time in an iron lung. The disease caused permanent damage to his body.[2] He was educated at Loughborough Grammar School and St John's College, Oxford, where he edited the student paper Cherwell.[3]
Career
Preston started his career at the
He continued as a columnist for the rest of his life. He contributed a weekly column to
Personal life and honours
In 1962, Preston married Jean Burrell, and they had four children.[1] His son, Ben Preston, is a former deputy editor of The Times[11] and Radio Times, and is executive editor of The Sunday Times.
Preston received honorary degrees from the
Preston died on 6 January 2018 after suffering from melanoma.[13][14]
Bibliography
- Bess (Viking, 1999) ISBN 0-670-88765-X
- 51st State (Viking, 1998) ISBN 0-670-88107-4
References
- ^ a b c d McKie, David (7 January 2018). "Peter Preston obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2018 – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ Preston, Peter (22 June 2002). "Peter Preston: good news on a bad day for one polio victim". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c d Ruddick, Graham (7 January 2018). "Peter Preston, former Guardian editor, dies aged 79". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ^ a b Turvill, William (21 June 2013). "Peter Preston reflects on 50 years of triumph and disaster at The Guardian and Observer". The Press Gazette. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ^ "Peter Preston on press and broadcasting - Media". The Guardian.
- ^ "Peter Preston". St. John's College. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Peter Preston obituary". the Guardian. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Today's media panel". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ^ Mance, Henry (7 January 2018). "Peter Preston, Guardian editor who believed in newspapers to the end". Financial Times. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ MacAskill, Ewen (6 July 2018). "Paul Dacre delivers fond tribute to former Guardian editor Peter Preston". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- ^ Stephen Brook, "Former deputy editor [Ben] Preston leaves Times", The Times, 4 February 2008.
- ^ "Alumni: Peter Preston". St John's College Oxford. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ^ Preston, Ben (7 January 2018). "My dad, Peter Preston, has gone: a long goodbye and a deadline missed for the first time". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 7 January 2018. (subscription required)
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
External links
- Column archive at The Guardian
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Hetherington Memorial Lecture, 1999: The Newspaper of the Future Archived 13 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Peter Preston, University of Stirling
- Peter Preston at Curlie