Ted Graham, Baron Graham of Edmonton

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Lord Temporal
In office
12 September 1983 – 20 March 2020
Life peerage
Member of Parliament
for Edmonton
In office
28 February 1974 – 13 May 1983
Preceded byAusten Albu
Succeeded byIan Twinn
Personal details
Born
Thomas Edward Graham

(1925-03-26)26 March 1925
Labour and Co-operative
Spouse
Margaret Golding
​
​
(m. 1950; died 2005)​
Children2
RelativesMiriam Stoppard (cousin)
Ed Stoppard (cousin)
Oona King (cousin)

Thomas Edward Graham, Baron Graham of Edmonton,

Labour and Co-operative politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Edmonton
from 1974 to 1983, and became a life peer in 1983.

Background

Thomas Edward Graham was born in

Second World War he saw active service in the British Army and was seriously injured by enemy fire.[2]

Political career

Graham was educated at the

co-operative movement from 1939, becoming National Secretary for the Co-operative Party.[2] He was a councillor on Enfield Borough Council from 1961, joining the new London Borough of Enfield
in 1964 and becoming its leader for ten years.

In 1966, Graham contested

Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.[2]

He was an opposition spokesman on the environment from 1980 to 1983, when he lost his seat in the House of Commons to Ian Twinn as part of Labour's landslide election defeat of that year.[2]

On 12 September 1983, after losing his seat, Graham was created a

President of the 1987 Co-operative Congress.[4]

Graham was President of the Institute of Meat and Patron of the

Ancient Order of Foresters and of the Edmonton Constituency Labour Party.[citation needed
]

On 18 December 1986, Graham was the only Peer in the House of Lords to speak against Lord Halsbury's Local Government Act 1986 (Amendment) Bill, which sought to prohibit the "promotion of homosexuality" by local authorities.[2] This bill subsequently became law as Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, when it was reintroduced by David Wilshire in the Commons.

Personal life

Graham married Margaret Golding in 1950. The couple had two sons. His wife was diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy, a condition that both their sons would inherit; she died in 2005 and their sons shortly thereafter.[1]

Graham was a first cousin of Dr. Miriam Stoppard, Lady Hogg, a physician, and her son, actor Ed Stoppard, Miriam's son, as well as politician Oona King, Lady Hogg's's niece.[5] He was a supporter of Humanists UK and lived in Loughton, Essex.[2]

He died at a care home in Knebworth on 20 March 2020, six days before his 95th birthday.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Langdon, Julia (1 April 2020). "Lord Graham of Edmonton obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  2. ^
    doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.90000381629. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)
  3. ^ "No. 49479". The London Gazette. 15 September 1983. p. 12103.
  4. ^ Congress Presidents 1869-2002 (PDF), February 2002, archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2008, retrieved 10 May 2008
  5. ^ Paul, Geoffrey (21 January 2010). "How is it for you?". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 19 June 2020.

Sources

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Edmonton
1974–1983 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords
1990–1997 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by General Secretary of the Co-operative Party
1967 – 1974 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Labour Chief Whip of the House of Lords
1990–1997 		Succeeded by
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