Claud Morris
Encyclopedia
Claud Morris was a British newspaper owner who sought to make peace between Arabs and Israelis.
Born near Penzance, Cornwall, he became a junior reporter aged 16. He joined the Canadian Army at the outbreak of World War II
, but was invalided out in 1941. Back in Britain, he started as a sub-editor on the Daily Express
, later becoming a political columnist for the Daily Mirror, and unsuccessfully standing as a Labour party
candidate in 1950 and 1951.
In 1952, he bought a small South Wales newspaper, more than doubling its circulation in three years. After an abortive alliance with Roy Thomson
to buy The Times
in 1966, he continued building up his own publishing empire until 1970, when his printing works were firebombed after printing several issues of Free Palestinian, a newspaper funded by Yasser Arafat
.
The attack caused Morris to become an advocate of the Arab cause, joining forces with Christopher Mayhew
, MP to produce a new magazine Middle East International. After Mayhew vetoed an article Morris wrote for publication, Morris published it in one of his own newspapers. This led to the resignation of key staff and a boycott by advertisers, causing the collapse of the paper.
Morris founded another newspaper, Voice of the Arab World and spent much of the next few decades travelling the Middle East
. By the late 1980s, Morris had become convinced of the need to find a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and in 1989 helped establish the Next Century Foundation
.
He wrote a two-volume autobiography - "I Bought a Newspaper" and "The Last Inch: a Middle East Odyssey". He died in the cottage he was born in after a series of strokes, leaving a wife, Patricia, a son and two daughters.
Born near Penzance, Cornwall, he became a junior reporter aged 16. He joined the Canadian Army at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but was invalided out in 1941. Back in Britain, he started as a sub-editor on the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
, later becoming a political columnist for the Daily Mirror, and unsuccessfully standing as a Labour party
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...
candidate in 1950 and 1951.
In 1952, he bought a small South Wales newspaper, more than doubling its circulation in three years. After an abortive alliance with Roy Thomson
Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet
Roy Herbert Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet GBE was a Canadian newspaper proprietor and media entrepreneur.-Career:...
to buy The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in 1966, he continued building up his own publishing empire until 1970, when his printing works were firebombed after printing several issues of Free Palestinian, a newspaper funded by Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
.
The attack caused Morris to become an advocate of the Arab cause, joining forces with Christopher Mayhew
Christopher Mayhew
Christopher Paget Mayhew, Baron Mayhew was a British politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1950 and from 1951 to 1974, when he left the Labour Party to become a Liberal...
, MP to produce a new magazine Middle East International. After Mayhew vetoed an article Morris wrote for publication, Morris published it in one of his own newspapers. This led to the resignation of key staff and a boycott by advertisers, causing the collapse of the paper.
Morris founded another newspaper, Voice of the Arab World and spent much of the next few decades travelling the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. By the late 1980s, Morris had become convinced of the need to find a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and in 1989 helped establish the Next Century Foundation
Next Century Foundation
The Next Century Foundation is an elite organisation that operates in various conflict zones across the globe. Originally established in 1990 to provide a forum for off-the-record discussions between Palestinians and Israelis, in addition to maintaining its original focus on the Middle East Peace...
.
He wrote a two-volume autobiography - "I Bought a Newspaper" and "The Last Inch: a Middle East Odyssey". He died in the cottage he was born in after a series of strokes, leaving a wife, Patricia, a son and two daughters.