Rachel Johnson
Encyclopedia
Rachel Johnson is an English editor
, journalist
and author
based in London
.
Johnson is the daughter of former Conservative
MEP
Stanley Johnson and artist Charlotte Johnson Wahl (née Fawcett), the daughter of Sir James Fawcett, a prominent barrister and president of the European Commission of Human Rights
. She is the younger sister of Boris
, the Mayor of London
; older sister of Leo Johnson, the entrepreneur, film-maker and partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Jo Johnson
, the award-winning editor of the Lex Column on the Financial Times and MP for Orpington
.
On her father's side Johnson is great-granddaughter of Ali Kemal Bey
, a liberal Turkish journalist and the interior minister in the government of Damat Ferid Pasha
, Grand Vizier
of the Ottoman Empire
, who was murdered during the Turkish War of Independence
. During World War I
, her grandfather and great aunt were recognised as British subjects and took their grandmother's maiden name of Johnson.
, Primrose Hill Primary in Camden, the European School in Brussels, the independent Ashdown House School
in East Sussex
, Bryanston School
in Dorset and St Paul's Girls' School
. In 1984 she went up to New College, Oxford
to read Classics (Literae Humaniores). She edited Isis
, the magazine for Oxford University students .
, becoming the first female graduate trainee at the paper, where she wrote on the economy. She moved to the BBC in 1994, but left to move to Washington DC as a columnist and freelancer in 1997. She has written weekly columns for the Sunday Telegraph
, The Daily Telegraph
, the Evening Standard
and other regular columns for Easy Living magazine, She Magazine, and the Financial Times
. She is a contributing editor of The Spectator
and until 2009 was a weekly columnist on The Sunday Times
and the Evening Standard and other publications. She regularly appears on radio and TV.
, a weekly magazine established in 1885. Her first few months were the subject of a Channel 4 documentary called 'The Lady and the Revamp', nominated for a Grierson award. Since taking up the post in September 2009 she has redeveloped the brand, introducing well-known contributors (including Justin Webb
and Sir Tim Rice
) and regular contributors such as Mary Killen and Alexander Chancellor, as well as overseeing a redesign by Creative Director Stefano Arata, to better compete with the mainstream women’s magazines.
area of London, Shire Hell (a follow up to Notting Hell), and The Mummy Diaries (Penguin 2004), a diary of her London-Exmoor year. She also commissioned and edited The Oxford Myth (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1988) while still an undergraduate at Oxford. Her most recent book is A Diary of The Lady, My First Year as Editor (Penguin 2010) and a new novel, Winter Games is due for publication in late Autumn 2011.
Johnson's Shire Hell won the 2008 Bad Sex in Fiction Prize, which she characterized as an "absolute honour".
Her short story "Severely Gifted" appeared in The Sunday Times
on 21 December 2008. (online text)
, and lives in London and Somerset with her three children.
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Johnson is the daughter of former Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
Stanley Johnson and artist Charlotte Johnson Wahl (née Fawcett), the daughter of Sir James Fawcett, a prominent barrister and president of the European Commission of Human Rights
European Commission of Human Rights
European Commission of Human Rights was a special tribunal.From 1954 to the entry into force of Protocol 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, individuals did not have direct access to the European Court of Human Rights; they had to apply to the Commission, which if it found the case to be...
. She is the younger sister of Boris
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
, the Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
; older sister of Leo Johnson, the entrepreneur, film-maker and partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Jo Johnson
Jo Johnson
Joseph Edmund "Jo" Johnson is a Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Orpington since the general election in May 2010 .-Family, early life and schooling:...
, the award-winning editor of the Lex Column on the Financial Times and MP for Orpington
Orpington
Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
.
On her father's side Johnson is great-granddaughter of Ali Kemal Bey
Ali Kemal Bey
Ali Kemal Bey was a liberal Ottoman journalist, newspaper editor and poet who was briefly Minister of the Interior in the government of Damat Ferid Pasha, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. He was murdered during the Turkish War of Independence...
, a liberal Turkish journalist and the interior minister in the government of Damat Ferid Pasha
Damat Ferid Pasha
Damad Ferid Pasha was an Ottoman statesman who held the office of grand vizier during two periods under the reign of the last Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI Vahdeddin, the first time between 4 March 1919 and 2 October 1919 and the second time between 5 April 1920 and 21 October 1920...
, Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, who was murdered during the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, her grandfather and great aunt were recognised as British subjects and took their grandmother's maiden name of Johnson.
Early life
She was educated at Winsford First School on ExmoorExmoor
Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...
, Primrose Hill Primary in Camden, the European School in Brussels, the independent Ashdown House School
Ashdown House, East Sussex
Ashdown House is a mixed independent preparatory school in Forest Row, East Sussex. There are currently 169 pupils from the ages seven to thirteen, currently comprising around 110 boys and 59 girls.-Headmaster:...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, Bryanston School
Bryanston School
Bryanston School is a co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils in Blandford, north Dorset, England, near the village of Bryanston. It was founded in 1928...
in Dorset and St Paul's Girls' School
St Paul's Girls' School
St Paul's Girls' School is a senior independent school, located in Brook Green, Hammersmith, in West London, England.-History:In 1904 a new day school for girls was established by the trustees of the Dean Colet Foundation , which had run St Paul's School for boys since the sixteenth century...
. In 1984 she went up to New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
to read Classics (Literae Humaniores). She edited Isis
Isis magazine
The Isis Magazine was established at Oxford University in 1892 . Traditionally a rival to the student newspaper Cherwell, it was finally acquired by the latter's publishing house, OSPL, in the late 1990s...
, the magazine for Oxford University students .
Journalism
In 1989 she joined the staff of the Financial TimesFinancial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, becoming the first female graduate trainee at the paper, where she wrote on the economy. She moved to the BBC in 1994, but left to move to Washington DC as a columnist and freelancer in 1997. She has written weekly columns for the Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
and other regular columns for Easy Living magazine, She Magazine, and the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
. She is a contributing editor of The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
and until 2009 was a weekly columnist on The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
and the Evening Standard and other publications. She regularly appears on radio and TV.
The Lady
In 2009 Johnson became the ninth editor of The LadyThe Lady (magazine)
The Lady is Britain's oldest weekly women's magazine. It has been in continuous publication since 1885 and is based in London. It is particularly notable for its classified advertisements for domestic service and child care; it also has extensive listings of holiday properties.The magazine was...
, a weekly magazine established in 1885. Her first few months were the subject of a Channel 4 documentary called 'The Lady and the Revamp', nominated for a Grierson award. Since taking up the post in September 2009 she has redeveloped the brand, introducing well-known contributors (including Justin Webb
Justin Webb
Justin Oliver Webb is a British journalist who has worked for the BBC since 1984. Since August 2009, he has presented on the Today programme.-Early life:...
and Sir Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
) and regular contributors such as Mary Killen and Alexander Chancellor, as well as overseeing a redesign by Creative Director Stefano Arata, to better compete with the mainstream women’s magazines.
Novelist
Her works include the international bestseller Notting Hell (Penguin 2006), a novel about couples living in the Notting HillNotting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
area of London, Shire Hell (a follow up to Notting Hell), and The Mummy Diaries (Penguin 2004), a diary of her London-Exmoor year. She also commissioned and edited The Oxford Myth (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1988) while still an undergraduate at Oxford. Her most recent book is A Diary of The Lady, My First Year as Editor (Penguin 2010) and a new novel, Winter Games is due for publication in late Autumn 2011.
Johnson's Shire Hell won the 2008 Bad Sex in Fiction Prize, which she characterized as an "absolute honour".
Her short story "Severely Gifted" appeared in The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
on 21 December 2008. (online text)
Personal life
She is married to Ivo Dawnay, the communications director of the National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, and lives in London and Somerset with her three children.
External links
- Personal website "Mummy Diaries"
- Authors On Tour Live Podcast Johnson discusses her novel Notting Hell
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1200564/Boris-Johnsons-sister-new-editor-The-Lady-magazine--shabby-sitting-room.html RJ appointment as editor of the Lady
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1211881/Rachel-Johnson-offers-home-truths-Liz-Jones-youre-Marie-Antoinette-Exmoor.html RJ article on Liz Jones moving down to live in Exmoor
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/may/27/the-lady-magazine-editor-leaves-arline-usden Arline Usden leaves The Lady