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Kenneth Harris

1919 – 2005

British journalist who worked for The Observer

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About Kenneth Harris

Lived 1919 – 2005 (aged 85–86). Kenneth Harris was a British journalist and broadcaster.

David Kenneth Harris, CBE (11 November 1919 – 24 June 2005) was a British journalist who worked for The Observer.

He was born in South Wales and educated at Trowbridge grammar school, Wiltshire and Wadham College, Oxford. His undergraduate life was interrupted by the Second World War, where he served in the Royal Artillery. In 1947 he took part in the first postwar Oxford Union debating tour of the United States (with Edward Boyle and Tony Benn) and wrote a book about the experience, Travelling Tongues (1949). He graduated in 1948.

Harris became a journalist for the Sheffield Telegraph in 1948 before joining The Observer in 1950. He was the paper's Washington correspondent until 1953, when he became its labour correspondent. This role brought him into contact with Clement Attlee and he later became Attlee's authorised biographer. Harris's 1970 interview with the Duke of Windsor and Duchess of Windsor was the last before the Duke's death in 1972.

Works Travelling Tongues (1948). Conversations (1967). Talking To (1971). Attlee (1982). Personally Speaking (1987). Interviews with David Owen. The Wildcatter: A Portrait of Robert O. Anderson (1987). Thatcher (1988). The Queen (1994).

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Important facts

Born
1919
Birth century
Died
2005
Education
Wadham College
Also known as
David Kenneth Harris

People in Kenneth Harris's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Kenneth Harris's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Kenneth Harris?

British journalist who worked for The Observer

When was Kenneth Harris born?

Kenneth Harris was born in 1919.

When did Kenneth Harris die?

Kenneth Harris died in 2005.

What was Kenneth Harris's occupation?

Kenneth Harris was a journalist and broadcaster.

What nationality was Kenneth Harris?

Kenneth Harris was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Kenneth Harris

· Wikidata: Q27915588

· DBpedia: Kenneth Harris (journalist)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Kenneth Harris. https://biography.guide/kenneth-harris/

MLA: "Kenneth Harris." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/kenneth-harris/.

Chicago: "Kenneth Harris." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/kenneth-harris/.

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