Dominick Harrod

Dominick Harrod
Born	(1940-08-21) 21 August 1940 Oxford, England
Died	4 August 2013(2013-08-04) (aged 72)
Occupation(s)	Journalist, broadcaster, author
Years active	1960s–1998
Known for	BBC economic correspondent (1970s–1980s)
Notable work	The Politics of Economics; Making Sense of the Economy; War, Ice and Piracy: The Remarkable Career of a Victorian Sailor

Dominick Roy Harrod (21 August 1940 – 4 August 2013) was a prominent British journalist and broadcaster, recognized for his role as the BBC's economic correspondent throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Early life

Harrod was born in Oxford to Sir Roy Harrod, an esteemed economist, and Wilhelmine "Billa" Harrod, who was notable for her efforts in preserving historic churches. He played a key role in establishing the Norfolk Churches Trust and led the Friends of Morston Church as chairman. His education included attendance at The Dragon School, Westminster School—where he served as editor of the Clarion—and Christ Church, Oxford, where he pursued studies in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

Career

Following his time at Oxford, Harrod contributed the "Albany column" to The Sunday Telegraph under the editorship of Kenneth Rose. In 1966, he assumed the position of Washington correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, reporting on significant events such as the 1968 Chicago riots. Upon returning to London, he took on the role of economics correspondent before joining the BBC in 1971.

During his tenure at the BBC until 1993, Harrod interviewed every sitting Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Throughout the 1980s, he held positions as economics correspondent and subsequently economics editor for BBC Radio. After departing amid organizational changes initiated by Director-General John Birt, Harrod contributed to budget coverage and briefly acted as director of information for Dunlop Tyres. He is credited with formulating “Harrod's Law of Economics”: "The more you see of me, the more trouble we're in."

Harrod also served as city editor for the Yorkshire Post for one year before becoming programme director at St George's House from 1994 until his retirement in 1998. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1992 and undertook roles with Save the Children and the Church of England’s Board for Social Responsibility. Additionally, he held the presidency of the Chartered Institute of Journalists between 1994 and 1995.

He authored two accessible books on economics—The Politics of Economics (1978) and Making Sense of the Economy (1983)—and later penned a historical biography focusing on Arctic explorer Samuel Gurney Cresswell.

Harrod was affiliated with the Garrick Club and was married to Christina Hobhouse from 1974 until her passing in 1996; together they had one son.

Bibliography

• The Politics of Economics (1978)
• Making Sense of the Economy (1983)
• War, Ice and Piracy: The Remarkable Career of a Victorian Sailor (2000)