George Gale (journalist)
George Stafford Gale | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 22, 1927 |
| Died | November 3, 1990 (aged 63) |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, editor |
| Years active | 1951–1980s |
| Known for | Editor of The Spectator (1970–1973) |
George Stafford Gale (22 October 1927 – 3 November 1990) was a prominent British journalist and editor, chiefly recognized for his leadership of the political periodical The Spectator between 1970 and 1973.
Life
Gale was the son of George Pyatt Gale, who served as a clerk in the National Insurance Audit Department and was an officer during World War I, and Annie Watson (née Wood). He descended from the Gale lineage associated with Scruton Hall in Yorkshire. His education included attendance at the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle followed by studies at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he earned a double first in history. Additionally, he pursued academic interests at the University of Göttingen, cultivating a sustained engagement with German philosophical thought.
His journalism career commenced in 1951 at the Manchester Guardian, where he worked as a leader writer focusing on Labour Affairs. In 1954, Gale traveled with the British Labour Party delegation to China, subsequently producing a critical analysis of Mao Zedong’s bureaucratic governance that served as the foundation for his 1955 publication, No Flies In China.
Gale joined the staff of the Daily Express in 1955 and remained there until 1967. He then spent three years at the Daily Mirror before returning to the Daily Express from 1976 through 1986. His period at The Spectator is distinguished by his endorsement of Enoch Powell and his appointment of Peter Ackroyd as literary critic. Furthermore, after editor Nigel Lawson dismissed Auberon Waugh following a satirical alteration of the magazine's name, Gale reinstated Waugh to an editorial role.
In addition to his editorial responsibilities, Gale contributed columns to the Daily Express and was a frequent participant on the mid-1980s revival of the television program What's My Line. His well-known appreciation for alcohol earned him the nickname "George G. Ale" from the satirical publication Private Eye. Between approximately 1973 and 1976, he also hosted a morning phone-in program on London’s commercial radio station LBC.
During the height of the AIDS crisis in 1987, Gale sparked controversy by advocating for the recriminalization of homosexual acts and proposing that AIDS be classified as a notifiable disease.
Gale married Patricia Holley in 1951; together they had four sons before their marriage ended after 32 years. His second marriage was to Mary Dillon-Malone, who had previously worked as a film critic for the Daily Mirror.