John Beavan, Baron Ardwick

John Cowburn Beavan, Baron Ardwick (9 April 1910 – 18 August 1994) was a British journalist, Labour life peer and Member of the European Parliament. He began his journalistic career in local newspapers before a long associations with The Guardian and Mirror. He was a staunch Labour supporter and was appointed as a life peer by Harold Wilson in 1970, namely to represent journalism in the House of Lords.

Early life and education Beavan was born at Ardwick, in Manchester, on 9 April 1910, a son of Silas Morgan Beavan (1881–1964; of Welsh origin and a miner, later greengrocer) and Emily Esther (née Hussey; 1882–1972), who from 'humble origins' went on to serve as a Manchester City Councillor, alderman, and justice of the peace, and was a campaigner for women's rights. Beavan was educated at Manchester Grammar School.

Career Beavan's early career involved work at a number of newspapers, including the Manchester Evening Chronicle, the Blackpool Times, and the Evening Standard. For two years, 1960 to 1962, he was editor of the Daily Herald, then becoming political advisor to the Mirror Group, a post he retained until 1976. He was a Labour Member of the European Parliament from 1975 to 1979.

Personal life He married Gladys Jones in 1934, with whom he adopted a daughter. Symonds' daughter Carrie is the spouse of the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, a Conservative.

On 18 August 1994, Beavan died from cancer at Parkside Hospital in Wimbledon, London, at the age of 84.

Arms