Lord Callaghan
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The Right Honourable The Lord Callaghan of Cardiff KG PC |
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| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
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In office 5 April 1976 – 4 May 1979 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Harold Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Thatcher |
| Father of the House | |
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In office 9 June 1983 – 11 June 1987 |
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| Preceded by | John Parker |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Braine |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
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In office 4 May 1979 – 10 November 1980 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Margaret Thatcher |
| Succeeded by | Michael Foot |
| Leader of the Labour Party | |
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In office 5 April 1976 – 10 November 1980 |
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| Deputy | Michael Foot |
| Preceded by | Harold Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Michael Foot |
| Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
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In office 5 March 1974 – 5 April 1976 |
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| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Sir Alec Douglas-Home |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Crosland |
| Shadow Foreign Secretary | |
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In office 19 April 1972 – 28 February 1974 |
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| Leader | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Denis Healey |
| Succeeded by | Geoffrey Rippon |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Employment | |
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In office 19 October 1971 – 19 April 1972 |
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| Leader | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Barbara Castle |
| Succeeded by | Denis Healey |
| Shadow Home Secretary | |
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In office 19 June 1970 – 19 October 1971 |
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| Leader | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Quintin Hogg |
| Succeeded by | Shirley Williams |
| Home Secretary | |
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In office 30 November 1967 – 19 June 1970 |
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| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Roy Jenkins |
| Succeeded by | Reginald Maudling |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
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In office 16 October 1964 – 30 November 1967 |
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| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | Reginald Maudling |
| Succeeded by | Roy Jenkins |
| Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
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In office 2 November 1961 – 16 October 1964 |
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| Leader |
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| Preceded by | Harold Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Reginald Maudling |
| Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty | |
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In office 2 March 1950 – 25 October 1951 |
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| Prime Minister | Clement Attlee |
| Preceded by | John Dugdale |
| Succeeded by | Sir Allan Noble |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport | |
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In office 7 October 1947 – 2 March 1950 |
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| Prime Minister | Clement Attlee |
| Preceded by | George Strauss |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Lucas of Chilworth |
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Member of Parliament for Cardiff South and Penarth Cardiff South (1945–1950) Cardiff South East (1950–1983) |
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In office 26 July 1945 – 11 June 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Arthur Evans |
| Succeeded by | Alun Michael |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Leonard James Callaghan 27 March 1912 Copnor, Portsmouth, England |
| Died | 26 March 2005 (aged 92) Ringmer, East Sussex, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Audrey Moulton (m. 1938; d. 2005) |
| Children | 3, including Margaret Jay |
| Religion | |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
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| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC (27 March 1912 – 26 March 2005), often known as Jim Callaghan, was a British politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and the Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980. Callaghan is to date the only politician in history to have served in all four of the "Great Offices of State", having been Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1964 to 1967, Home Secretary from 1967 to 1970, and Foreign Secretary from 1974, until his appointment as Prime Minister in 1976. As Prime Minister, he had some successes, but was chiefly remembered for the "Winter of Discontent" in 1978–79. During a very cold winter, his battle with trade unions led to massive strikes that seriously inconvenienced the public, leading to his defeat in the polls by Margaret Thatcher.
As a new MP in 1945 he was on the left wing of the party; he steadily moved right but maintained his reputation as "The Keeper of the Cloth Cap" – that is he was seen as dedicated to maintaining close ties between the Party and the trade unions. Callaghan's period as Chancellor of the Exchequer coincided with a turbulent period for the British economy, during which he had to wrestle with a balance of payments deficit and speculative attacks on the pound sterling (its exchange rate to other currencies was almost fixed by the Bretton Woods system). On 18 November 1967, the government devalued the pound sterling. Callaghan became Home Secretary. He sent the British Army to support the police in Northern Ireland, after a request from the Northern Ireland Government.
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