Christopher Chataway
Encyclopedia
Sir Christopher John Chataway (born 31 January 1931) is a British former middle- and long-distance runner, television news broadcaster, and a Conservative
politician
. His stepson is the Conservative MP Charles Walker.
, an independent school
for boys in the market town of Sherborne
in north-west Dorset
, before going up to Magdalen College
at the University of Oxford
, where his studies were overshadowed by his success on the athletics track as a long-distance runner.
Olympic Games
of 1952, in the 5000 metres final, after being passed on the last bend by the Czech long distance runner, Emil Zátopek
, France's Alain Mimoun
, and West Germany's Herbert Schade
, Chataway's foot brushed the curb and he crashed headlong to the ground. Chataway managed to finish the race in fifth place. On leaving university he took an executive job with Guinness
. When Sir Hugh Beaver of Guinness came up with the idea of the Guinness Book of Records, it was Chataway who suggested his old university friends Norris
and Ross McWhirter
as editors, knowing of their liking for facts.
Chataway continued with his running. When Roger Bannister
ran the first sub-four minute mile, his close friend Chataway was one of his pacemakers. He finished in second place in the 5000 metres at the European Athletics Championship of 1954
, 12.2 seconds behind the winner Vladimir Kuts
, but two weeks later turned the tables at a London v. Moscow athletics competition at White City
, setting a world record time of 13 minutes 51.6 seconds. The contest was televised via the Eurovision network and made Chataway a sporting celebrity; that December he won the first BBC Sports Personality of the Year
award. After competing in the 1956 Olympics, Chataway retired from international athletics, though he continues to race for Thames Hare and Hounds up to this day.
were its first two newscasters. After six months, when loss-making ITV cut back on on its news output, Chataway switched to the BBC
and was for three and a half years one of Panorama
's highly regarded team of reporters with a different assignment each week sometimes at home but usually abroad. By this time he was also considering another career, this time in politics. He had been narrowly elected as a Conservative
to the London County Council
in 1958 in Lewisham North
, and was then selected to stand for Parliament in the same seat. Lewisham North was a highly marginal seat won by Labour
in a by-election in 1957, but Chataway's charm helped to win the seat with a majority bigger than it had been in the previous general election.
His maiden speech
expressed the hope that the England cricket team would refuse to play a tour in apartheid South Africa
, a highly unusual opinion for a Conservative. In Parliament, Chataway took up the issue of refugees, especially in Africa, and campaigned so hard during World Refugee Year that he was awarded a Nansen Medal. He served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary before being appointed as a junior Education Minister in July 1962. In the 1964 election, his majority was slashed to 343 and the seat looked distinctly vulnerable; in 1966 he lost.
and the party leadership was horrified to discover that their newly elected councillors were going to try to break up comprehensive schools and replace them with secondary modern and grammar schools. Chataway with relevant ministerial experience was persuaded to take over. He was elected an Alderman and appointed Leader of the Education Committee. Eventually cajoling his colleagues into a more moderate line he avoided a head on collision with Edward Short the Labour Education Secretary and proceeded with those schemes for secondary reorganisation that he regarded as well founded.
in May 1969. He then resigned as ILEA Leader. With the return of a Conservative Government in 1970 after refusing the offer of Sports Minister he was appointed by Edward Heath as Minister for Posts and Telecommunications and made a Privy Counsellor. In this post he took charge of introducing commercial radio for the first time, ending the BBC monopoly. After a reshuffle in April 1972 he was Minister for Industrial Development.
He stayed with Orion, later as Vice Chairman, for 15 years. He held various non-executive directorships. He was also the first Chairman of Groundwork, the environmental charity and Hon Treasurer of the National Campaign for Electoral Reform.
His principal outside interest was ActionAid
, a small overseas development charity, of which he became Hon Treasurer in 1974 and later Chairman. By the time he left the Board of Trustees in 1999 ActionAid's annual turnover had grown to nearly £100 million. When Chataway's son Adam decided to launch a water project in Ethiopia in memory of his fiancee killed in a road traffic accident he chose to do it in partnership with ActionAid. Vicky's Water Project, opened in 2010, has transformed the lives of 20,000 people.
In 1991 Chataway was appointed Civil Aviation Authority - a job he relished not least because his father had been one of the early aviators. He supported his friend Chris Brasher
when he established the London Marathon
, and has been President of the Commonwealth Games
Council for England since 1990. He was knighted in 1995 for services to aviation.
In the 2005 general election
his stepson Charles Walker was elected as Conservative MP for Broxbourne
.
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. His stepson is the Conservative MP Charles Walker.
Education
Chataway was educated at Sherborne SchoolSherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
for boys in the market town of Sherborne
Sherborne
Sherborne is a market town in northwest Dorset, England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The A30 road, which connects London to Penzance, runs through the town. The population of the town is 9,350 . 27.1% of the population is aged 65 or...
in north-west Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, before going up to Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where his studies were overshadowed by his success on the athletics track as a long-distance runner.
Athletics career
Chataway had a short but distinguished athletics career. At the HelsinkiHelsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
of 1952, in the 5000 metres final, after being passed on the last bend by the Czech long distance runner, Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek was a Czech long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life...
, France's Alain Mimoun
Alain Mimoun
Alain Mimoun is a retired French runner and Olympic marathon champion.-Early life:Born in El Telagh, then in French Algeria, Mimoun lost several years of competition to World War II...
, and West Germany's Herbert Schade
Herbert Schade
Herbert Schade was a West German athlete who competed mainly in the 5000 metres.He competed for West Germany in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland in the 5000 metres where he won the bronze medal....
, Chataway's foot brushed the curb and he crashed headlong to the ground. Chataway managed to finish the race in fifth place. On leaving university he took an executive job with Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
. When Sir Hugh Beaver of Guinness came up with the idea of the Guinness Book of Records, it was Chataway who suggested his old university friends Norris
Norris McWhirter
Norris Dewar McWhirter, CBE was a writer, political activist, co-founder of the Freedom Association, and a television presenter. He and his twin brother, Ross, were known internationally for the Guinness Book of Records, a book they wrote and annually updated together between 1955 and 1975...
and Ross McWhirter
Ross McWhirter
Alan Ross Mayfield McWhirter , known as Ross McWhirter, was, with his twin brother, Norris McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records and a contributor to Record Breakers...
as editors, knowing of their liking for facts.
Chataway continued with his running. When Roger Bannister
Roger Bannister
Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE is an English former athlete best known for running the first recorded mile in less than 4 minutes...
ran the first sub-four minute mile, his close friend Chataway was one of his pacemakers. He finished in second place in the 5000 metres at the European Athletics Championship of 1954
1954 European Championships in Athletics
The 5th European Athletics Championships were held from 25 August to 29 August 1954 in the Swiss capital Bern.-Men's results:-Women's results:-Medal table:- External links :* *...
, 12.2 seconds behind the winner Vladimir Kuts
Vladimir Kuts
Vladimir Petrovich Kuts was a Soviet long distance runner. He is alternatively known as Volodymyr Kuts, the Ukrainian spelling, as Kuts was born in Aleksino, which is in present-day Ukraine....
, but two weeks later turned the tables at a London v. Moscow athletics competition at White City
White City Stadium
White City Stadium was built in White City, London, for the 1908 Summer Olympics, often seen as the precursor to the modern seater stadium and noted for hosting the finish of the first modern distance marathon. It also hosted speedway and a match at the 1966 World Cup, before the stadium was...
, setting a world record time of 13 minutes 51.6 seconds. The contest was televised via the Eurovision network and made Chataway a sporting celebrity; that December he won the first BBC Sports Personality of the Year
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
award. After competing in the 1956 Olympics, Chataway retired from international athletics, though he continues to race for Thames Hare and Hounds up to this day.
Broadcasting and politics
Soon after leaving Oxford with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics he decided to aim for a political career. He thought a suitable job in the rapidly expanding world of television might help. He refused offers in sports TV and with panel and quiz shows but secured a job in August 1955 with ITN. He and Robin DayRobin Day
Sir Robin Day, OBE was a British political broadcaster and commentator. His obituary in the Guardian stated that "he was the most outstanding television journalist of his generation...
were its first two newscasters. After six months, when loss-making ITV cut back on on its news output, Chataway switched to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and was for three and a half years one of Panorama
Panorama
A panorama is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film/video, or a three-dimensional model....
's highly regarded team of reporters with a different assignment each week sometimes at home but usually abroad. By this time he was also considering another career, this time in politics. He had been narrowly elected as a 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...
to the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
in 1958 in Lewisham North
Lewisham North (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewisham North was a parliamentary constituency in Lewisham, London which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until it was abolished for the February 1974 general election.- Boundaries :...
, and was then selected to stand for Parliament in the same seat. Lewisham North was a highly marginal seat won by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in a by-election in 1957, but Chataway's charm helped to win the seat with a majority bigger than it had been in the previous general election.
His maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
expressed the hope that the England cricket team would refuse to play a tour in apartheid South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, a highly unusual opinion for a Conservative. In Parliament, Chataway took up the issue of refugees, especially in Africa, and campaigned so hard during World Refugee Year that he was awarded a Nansen Medal. He served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary before being appointed as a junior Education Minister in July 1962. In the 1964 election, his majority was slashed to 343 and the seat looked distinctly vulnerable; in 1966 he lost.
ILEA
In 1967 the Conservatives unexpectedly won control of the Inner London Education AuthorityInner London Education Authority
The Inner London Education Authority was the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990.-History:...
and the party leadership was horrified to discover that their newly elected councillors were going to try to break up comprehensive schools and replace them with secondary modern and grammar schools. Chataway with relevant ministerial experience was persuaded to take over. He was elected an Alderman and appointed Leader of the Education Committee. Eventually cajoling his colleagues into a more moderate line he avoided a head on collision with Edward Short the Labour Education Secretary and proceeded with those schemes for secondary reorganisation that he regarded as well founded.
Heath government
However Chataway was eager to get back into Parliament, and the opportunity came in a byelection in ChichesterChichester (UK Parliament constituency)
Chichester is a county constituency in West Sussex, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in May 1969. He then resigned as ILEA Leader. With the return of a Conservative Government in 1970 after refusing the offer of Sports Minister he was appointed by Edward Heath as Minister for Posts and Telecommunications and made a Privy Counsellor. In this post he took charge of introducing commercial radio for the first time, ending the BBC monopoly. After a reshuffle in April 1972 he was Minister for Industrial Development.
Business career
When the Conservatives were defeated in 1974, Chataway announced his retirement from politics (at the age of 43) and he did not seek re-election that October. He then went into business becoming a Managing Director of Orion Bank, a consortium bank later acquired by one of its shareholders the Royal Bank of CanadaRoyal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
He stayed with Orion, later as Vice Chairman, for 15 years. He held various non-executive directorships. He was also the first Chairman of Groundwork, the environmental charity and Hon Treasurer of the National Campaign for Electoral Reform.
His principal outside interest was ActionAid
ActionAid
ActionAid was founded in 1972 as a child sponsorship charity when 88 UK supporters sponsored 88 children in India and Kenya, the focus primarily being to provide children with an education. Global accounts are now reported in Euros and in 2007 and 2008 turnover was close to 180m Euros...
, a small overseas development charity, of which he became Hon Treasurer in 1974 and later Chairman. By the time he left the Board of Trustees in 1999 ActionAid's annual turnover had grown to nearly £100 million. When Chataway's son Adam decided to launch a water project in Ethiopia in memory of his fiancee killed in a road traffic accident he chose to do it in partnership with ActionAid. Vicky's Water Project, opened in 2010, has transformed the lives of 20,000 people.
In 1991 Chataway was appointed Civil Aviation Authority - a job he relished not least because his father had been one of the early aviators. He supported his friend Chris Brasher
Chris Brasher
Christopher William "Chris" Brasher CBE was a British athlete, sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon.-History:...
when he established the London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
, and has been President of the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
Council for England since 1990. He was knighted in 1995 for services to aviation.
In the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
his stepson Charles Walker was elected as Conservative MP for Broxbourne
Broxbourne (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Notes and references:...
.