Humphrey Frank Owen (27 September 1905 – 23 January 1979) was a British journalist and Liberal Member of Parliament. He was a Lloyd Georgite Liberal MP for Hereford between 1929 and 1931. He was elected at the age of 23 years, 245 days and was Baby of the House (the youngest member of the House of Commons).
He worked as a journalist and became editor of the Evening Standard in 1938 and the Daily Mail in 1947. During the War he edited SEAC, The Services Newspaper of South East Asia Command.
After a period as a television journalist, he again fought the Hereford seat in 1955 and in a by-election in 1956.
He was once asked whether it were true that he had been a Member of Parliament. "Yes," he said, "I was elected by the highly intelligent, far-sighted people of the constituency of Hereford in 1929 - and thrown out by the same besotted mob two years later." This is often misquoted.
He was one of the authors of Guilty Men, a denunciation of appeasement published in summer of 1940. He wrote a biography Tempestuous Journey: Lloyd George His Life and Times (Hutchinson of London; 1954).
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Samuel Roberts |
Member of Parliament for Hereford 1929–1931 |
Succeeded by James Thomas |
| Media offices | ||
| Preceded by Percy Cudlipp |
Editor of the Evening Standard 1938–1941 |
Succeeded by Michael Foot |
| Preceded by Stanley Horniblow |
Editor of the Daily Mail 1947–1950 |
Succeeded by Guy Schofield |
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