Cecil Harmsworth King
Encyclopedia
Cecil Harmsworth King was owner of Mirror Group Newspapers, and later a director at the Bank of England
(1965-68).
He came on his father's side from a Protestant Irish family, and was brought up in Ireland. His father was Sir Lucas White King, Professor of Oriental Languages at Trinity College, Dublin
and his mother was Geraldine née Harmsworth, daughter of Alfred Harmsworth, a barrister, and sister of the mass-circulation newspaper proprietors Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
and Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere
. He was educated at Winchester College
and Christ Church, Oxford
. According to Geoffrey Goodman
: "He believed he was born to rule, an image of himself which never departed."
In 1937 King was an advertising director of one of his uncle's papers when he formed a partnership with journalist Hugh Cudlipp
. When King was made a senior director, he chose Cudlipp as his new editor.
At the age of 23 Cudlipp became the youngest chief editor in Fleet Street
. Between them, King and Cudlipp turned The Daily Mirror
into the world's largest selling daily newspaper
. In 1967, the Daily Mirrors circulation reached a world record of 5,282,137 copies. By 1963 King was chairman of the International Publishing Corporation (IPC), then the biggest publishing empire in the world, which included the Daily Mirror and some two hundred other papers and magazines (1963-1968).
King was married to Dame Ruth Railton
, the founder of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
's government by the Mirror, had caused that government's collapse after the war.
He was involved in, and probably instigated, a bizarre 1968 meeting with Louis Mountbatten, among others, in which he proposed that Harold Wilson's government be overthrown and replaced with a temporary administration headed by Mountbatten.
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
(1965-68).
He came on his father's side from a Protestant Irish family, and was brought up in Ireland. His father was Sir Lucas White King, Professor of Oriental Languages at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
and his mother was Geraldine née Harmsworth, daughter of Alfred Harmsworth, a barrister, and sister of the mass-circulation newspaper proprietors Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe rose from childhood poverty to become a powerful British newspaper and publishing magnate, famed for buying stolid, unprofitable newspapers and transforming them to make them lively and entertaining for the mass market.His company...
and Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere
Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere
Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere was a highly successful British newspaper proprietor, owner of Associated Newspapers Ltd. He is known in particular, with his brother Alfred Harmsworth, the later Viscount Northcliffe, for the development of the London Daily Mail and Daily Mirror....
. He was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. According to Geoffrey Goodman
Geoffrey Goodman
Geoffrey Goodman CBE is a British journalist, broadcaster and writer.An RAF pilot during his war service , Goodman studied at the London School of Economics under Harold Laski...
: "He believed he was born to rule, an image of himself which never departed."
In 1937 King was an advertising director of one of his uncle's papers when he formed a partnership with journalist Hugh Cudlipp
Hugh Cudlipp
Hubert "Hugh" Kinsman Cudlipp, Baron Cudlipp, OBE , was a Welsh journalist and newspaper editor noted for his work on the Daily Mirror in the 1950s and 60s.- Life and career :...
. When King was made a senior director, he chose Cudlipp as his new editor.
At the age of 23 Cudlipp became the youngest chief editor in Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
. Between them, King and Cudlipp turned The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...
into the world's largest selling daily newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
. In 1967, the Daily Mirrors circulation reached a world record of 5,282,137 copies. By 1963 King was chairman of the International Publishing Corporation (IPC), then the biggest publishing empire in the world, which included the Daily Mirror and some two hundred other papers and magazines (1963-1968).
King was married to Dame Ruth Railton
Ruth Railton
Dame Ruth Railton was a British music director and conductor. She founded the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain in 1948. She was an adjudicator of the Federation of Music Festivals from 1946-1974.She was one of four daughters and one son, David, born to the Rev...
, the founder of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
Political activities
King's influence in British public life was enormous. He himself believed that criticism of Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's government by the Mirror, had caused that government's collapse after the war.
He was involved in, and probably instigated, a bizarre 1968 meeting with Louis Mountbatten, among others, in which he proposed that Harold Wilson's government be overthrown and replaced with a temporary administration headed by Mountbatten.