Gordon Reece
| Sir Gordon Reece | |
|---|---|
 Reece in 1975 | |
| Born |
James Gordon Reece 28 September 1929 Romford, Essex, England, UK |
| Died |
22 September 2001 (aged 71) London, England, UK |
| Education | Ratcliffe College |
| Occupation | Journalist, television producer, political/public relations strategist |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Johnson (m. 1957–19??; divorced) |
| Children | 6 |
Sir James Gordon Reece, Kt (28 September 1929 — 22 September 2001) was a British journalist and television producer who worked as a political strategist for Margaret Thatcher during the 1979 general election which led to her victory over then prime minister James Callaghan. Reece studied Law at Downing College, Cambridge, and worked in journalism before moving into television production and joining ITN in 1960.[1]
Career
Reece was born in 1929 in Essex, and raised in Liverpool, the son of James Graham Reece, a motor engineer and businessman, and Beatrice Mary Reece (née Langton), a nurse.[2]
Education
His father was able to send young Gordon to Ratcliffe College, a Roman Catholic boarding school in Leicestershire. (A contemporary was Norman St John-Stevas, later Lord St John of Fawsley.) He read Law at Downing College, Cambridge, and decided on a career in journalism. He then worked for a time with the Liverpool Daily Post and then the Sunday Express. In 1960 he switched to train as a television producer and went on to work for ITN's News at Ten and produce religious programmes and chat shows.
In the 1970 and 1974 general elections he came into contact with Thatcher and helped when she launched her successful bid for the party leadership in February 1975. It was his idea that she should be filmed doing the washing-up, presenting herself as a housewife. By now he had established a cassette-video company, which was taken over by EMI. He took leave from the company to help her with her television appearances. It was her decision to make him Director of Publicity in February 1978. One of Reece's first decisions was to appoint Saatchi & Saatchi Garland Compton as the party's advertising agency in 1978. He worked to soften Thatcher's public image, hiring a coach to teach her to lower and deepen her voice, advised on clothing, accompanied her to her television and radio interviews, and made sure that she avoided combative interviewers who would make her strident.
Reece opposed a proposed television debate between Thatcher and Callaghan in 1979. He dismissed politicians' interests in television programmes, saying "You have to appeal to ordinary voters, who are not very interested in politics." Within a year of the election victory Reece had left for Los Angeles and a lucrative post with Armand Hammer, head of the Occidental Petroleum Corporation. For five years he did his best to improve the image of his mysterious and rich employer. Upon his return visits he kept in touch with Thatcher and newspaper editors. During the 1987 election he was appointed Thatcher's adviser for television. But he kept a low profile because he had also been retained as PR consultant by Guinness in their controversial take-over battle with Distillers.
He was a frequent visitor to the Thatchers at Christmas Day dinners and continued to act as a troubleshooter for her with the media and with colleagues. He was part of her team of advisers when she failed to retain the party leadership in November 1990. Unlike many of her entourage, he reportedly maintained good relations with Thatcher's successor as Prime Minister, John Major. A depiction of Reece and his role in Thatcher's campaign for Conservative Party presidency in 1979 and her subsequent election as PM is made in 2012 motion picture The Iron Lady, impersonated by Roger Allam.
Family
In 1957 he married Elizabeth M. Johnson in Manchester. Around 1979, they separated; she later divorced him. The couple had six children.
Knighthood
He was awarded a knighthood in 1986. He had refused an earlier honour on the grounds it was insufficient to his services.[3]
Death
Reece was diagnosed with cancer, which would claim his life six days before his 72nd birthday in London. He traveled to the United States for treatment and remained there for a considerable period of time until he returned home to finish his days.[4]
References
- ↑ Reference to Sir Gordon Reece
- ↑ Reece biodata, Oxford DNB Online (subscription required)
- ↑ Gordon Reece appointed Knight Bachelor
- ↑ Reece obituary in The Telegraph
External links
- Obituary: Sir Gordon Reece, The Independent, 26 September 2001 (accessed 1 January 2009)
- Reece's obituary in The Telegraph (accessed 29 July 2011)