Simon Jenkins

Sir Simon David Jenkins (born 10 June 1943) is a British newspaper columnist and author, and since November 2008 has been chairman of the National Trust. He currently writes columns for both The Guardian and London's Evening Standard, and was previously a commentator for The Times, which he edited from 1990 to 1992. He was educated at Mill Hill School and St John's College, Oxford.

A former editor of both The Times and the Evening Standard, he received a knighthood for services to journalism in the 2004 New Year honours.

He married the American actress Gayle Hunnicutt in 1978; the couple separated in 2008.^[1]

Career

Journalism

After graduating from Oxford, Jenkins worked initially at Country Life magazine, before joining the Times Educational Supplement and then editing the Sunday Times Insight pages.^[2][3] From 1976 to 1978 he was editor of the Evening Standard, before moving to become political editor of the Economist. He edited The Times from 1990 to 1992, but since then has primarily worked as a columnist.^[3]

On 28 January 2005, he announced he was ending his 15-year association with The Times in order to write a book before joining the Guardian as an op-ed contributor, although he retained a column on the Sunday Times until late summer 2008.^[2] Since May 2005, he has been a contributing blogger at the Huffington Post.^[4] Since 2009, he has also written a column for the Tuesday edition of the London paper the Evening Standard.^[5]

In 1998 he was named as the What the Papers Say journalist of the year, and in 2004 he received a knighthood for services to journalism.^[2] On 14 April 2009, the Guardian newspaper withdrew one of his articles from its website after ANC leader and current South African president Jacob Zuma sued the paper for defamation.^[6]

In December 2010 he spoke ^[7] on the Radio 4 Today Programme about the Shard, a skyscraper currently under construction in London. For this opinion he was described as a "professional miserabilist" in the Londonist.^[8]

Books

Jenkins has written several books on politics, history and architecture, including England's Thousand Best Churches^[9] and England's Thousand Best Houses,^[3] more recently writing a history of England in which he argues that the British Empire "was a remarkable institution that dismantled itself in good order"^[10] and, more generally, that England is "the most remarkable country in European history".^[11]

Public appointments

He served on the Boards of British Rail 1979-1990 and London Transport 1984-86. He was a member of the Millennium Commission from February 1994 to Dec 2000,^[12] and has also sat on the Board of Trustees of the Architecture Foundation. From 1985 to 1990, he was deputy chairman of English Heritage.^[3]

In July 2008, it was announced that he had been chosen as the new chairman of the National Trust, and took over the post from Sir William Proby in November of that year. Although he had in the past been critical of some aspects of the Trust's work, he described himself as being "very pleased" at the appointment, stating that the Trust was "one of England's great institutions".^[13]

Selected works

• Simon Jenkins (1969) Education and Labour's Axe, Bow Pubns., ISBN 0-900182-79-2
• Simon Jenkins (1971) Here to Live: Study of Race Relations in an English Town Runnymede Trust ISBN 0-902397-12-5
• Simon Jenkins (1975) Landlords to London: Story of a Capital and Its Growth Constable, ISBN 0-09-460150-X
• Simon Jenkins (1979) Newspapers: The Power and the Money Faber, ISBN 0-571-11468-7
• Simon Jenkins (1981) Newspapers Through the Looking-glass Manchester Statistical Society, ISBN 0-85336-058-8
• Simon Jenkins and Andrew Graham-Yooll (1983) Imperial Skirmishes: War And Gunboat Diplomacy In Latin America Diane Publishing, ISBN 0-7567-7468-3
• Simon Jenkins, Anne Sloman (1985) With Respect, Ambassador: Enquiry into the Foreign Office BBC, ISBN 0-563-20329-3
• Simon Jenkins (1986) The Market for Glory: Fleet Street Ownership in the Twentieth Century Faber and Faber, ISBN 0-571-14627-9
• Simon Jenkins and Robert Ilson (1992) "The Times" English Style and Usage Guide Times Books ISBN 0-7230-0396-3
• Simon Jenkins (1993) The Selling of Mary Davies and Other Writings John Murray, ISBN 0-7195-5298-2
• Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins (1992) Battle for the Falklands M Joseph, ISBN 0-7181-2578-9
• Simon Jenkins (1994) Against the Grain, John Murray, ISBN 0-7195-5570-1
• Simon Jenkins (1995) Accountable to None: Tory Nationalization of Britain Hamish Hamilton, ISBN 0-241-13591-5
• Simon Jenkins (1999) England's Thousand Best Churches Allen Lane, ISBN 0-7139-9281-6
• Simon Jenkins (2003) England's Thousand Best Houses Allen Lane, ISBN 0-7139-9596-3
• Simon Jenkins (2006) Thatcher & Sons - A Revolution in Three Acts Penguin, ISBN 9780713995954
• Simon Jenkins (2011) A Short History of England Profile Books, ISBN 978-1-846-68461-6

See also

• List of newspaper columnists

References

External links

• Simon Jenkins columns for The Guardian
• Simon Jenkins columns for Huffington Post