Joseph Grimond
 Joseph Grimond     (politician) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Joseph Grimond 29 July 1913 St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, UK | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 24 October 1993 (Age 80) Kirkwall, Scotland, UK | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Eton, Oxford University/Balliol College | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parents | Joseph Bowman Grimond | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of | Königswinter/Speakers | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | UK/Liberal Party, Liberal Democrats | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Attended the 1958 Bilderberg as leader of the UK Liberal Party. Early proponent of Britain joining the EEC.
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Joseph "Jo" Grimond, Baron Grimond was a British politician.[1] An early proponent of Britain joining the EEC[2], he attended the 1958 Bilderberg meeting.
Background
He was the son of Helen Lydia Grimond (nee Richardson) and the jute manufacturer Joseph Bowman Grimond. His father died in 1928.
Education
Grimond studied at Eton and at Balliol College, Oxford, thanks to a Brackenbury scholarship. His subjects were law, political science, economics and philosophy. Robert Birley was one of his teachers. He graduated as a barrister in 1935, was admitted to the bar in 1937.[3]
Career
He served in World War II, ending up as a major on the General Staff. In 1947 he was head of personnel for the European headquarters of United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. In 1948 he became secretary of the National Trust for Scotland. In 1967 he became director of the Guardian.[3]
After an initial electoral defeat in 1945, he was elected to parliament consistently from 1950 to 1992 for the constituency of Orkney and Shetland. He was the Liberal Party's whip from 1951 to 1957, and its chairman from 1956 to 1967, the latter succeeding Clement Davies. He advocated Britain's accession to the EEC, criticized the Allied Suez intervention and opposed to the creation of the so-called independent nuclear deterrent of Polaris and Trident, and argued for more state involvement in social and educational affairs. On an interim basis, he took over the party leadership again in 1976, after the resignation of Jeremy Thorpe, until David Steel took over the office.[3]
Under Grimond's leadership, the Liberals were able to double the number of their electoral votes in 1959. In the British majority voting law, however, they only brought it to six seats in parliament. there were nine mandates in 1964 and twelve in 1966. Grimond was dissatisfied with the rate of gains, which is why he resigned the post of party leader. He had tried to position the Liberal Party between the Conservatives and Labour, but experienced the realignment of Labour to the center, which was accompanied by significant gains in votes.[3]
Family
In 1938, he married Laura Miranda, daughter of Violet Bonham-Carter, who introduced him to the teachings of Herbert Henry Asquith, her grandfather. He had four children. In 1983 he was created a Life Peer as Baron Grimond, of Firth in the County of Orkney, and from then on sat in the House of Lords. Grimond died of a stroke at home in 1993.[3]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1958 | 13 September 1958 | 15 September 1958 | Buxton UK United Kingdom | The 7th Bilderberg and the first one in the UK. 72 guests |
