Sir Joseph Percival William Mallalieu (18 June 1908 – 13 March 1980) was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 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...

 politician, journalist and author.

Mallalieu was educated at the Dragon School

Dragon School

The Dragon School is a British coeducational, preparatory school in the city of Oxford, founded in 1877 as the Oxford Preparatory School, or OPS. It is primarily known as a boarding school, although it also takes day pupils...

 in Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

, Cheltenham College

Cheltenham College

Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...

, Trinity College, Oxford

Trinity College, Oxford

The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...

 and the University of Chicago

University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...

. He was President of the Oxford Union

Oxford Union

The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...

 in 1930 and a Rugby

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 blue

University Sporting Blue

A Blue is an award earned by sportsmen and women at a university and some schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of Blues began at Oxford and Cambridge Universities...

. He served in the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 1942-45. His novel, Very Ordinary Seaman, is based on his experiences in the navy.

Mallalieu was Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Huddersfield

Huddersfield (UK Parliament constituency)

-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...

 from 1945 to 1950, and for Huddersfield East

Huddersfield East (UK Parliament constituency)

Huddersfield East was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until 1983.-Member of Parliament:...

 after boundary changes from 1950 to 1979. He had various ministerial positions under Harold Wilson

Harold Wilson

James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...

, including Defence for the Royal Navy (1964–1967), the Board of Trade

Board of Trade

The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...

 (1967–1968) and Technology (1968–1969).

Mallalieu's father Frederick

Frederick Mallalieu

Frederick William Mallalieu was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Colne Valley at a by-election in 1916...

 and brother Lance

Lance Mallalieu

Sir Edward Lancelot Mallalieu , known as Lance Mallalieu, was a British politician.Lancelot Mallalieu attended the Dragon School in Oxford....

 were also Members of Parliament. His daughter, Ann

Ann Mallalieu, Baroness Mallalieu

Ann Mallalieu, Baroness Mallalieu QC is a British lawyer, Labour Party politician and president of the Countryside Alliance....

, is a Labour peer.

Mallalieu is the author of Rats! (Left Book Club, 1941) under the pseudonym 'The Pied Piper'.

External links