Charles Leatherland, Baron Leatherland
Charles Edward Leatherland, Baron Leatherland (18 April 1898 – 18 December 1992) was a British journalist and Labour Party politician who played a major role in local and national public life.
Early life and war service
Leatherland was born in Aston, Birmingham, the eldest son of John Edward Leatherland and Elizabeth (Abbis). His mother died when he was nine. He left Harborne School at 14. In 1914, during the First World War, he joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and, later, the X Corps headquarters. He served in France, Belgium, and Germany, rising to acting sergeant major and earning the Meritorious Service Medal.
Journalism career
After the war, he returned to Birmingham and worked for the city’s government department, then helped form the National Union of Ex-Service Men. In 1921 he moved to Macclesfield to work as chief reporter and sub-editor on the Macclesfield Courier. He won several international essay prizes in the early 1920s.
In 1924 Leatherland moved to London to work in the Labour Party Press and Publicity Department as Parliamentary Correspondent, becoming second in command to William Henderson. He contributed to The Book of the Labour Party (1925) and helped shape Labour’s messaging during the 1926 general strike, including the front-page “Message to All Workers” in the British Worker.
In 1929 he joined the Daily Herald as a political sub-editor, later becoming assistant news editor and then news editor. In the 1950s he also served as night editor, assistant editor, and political editor before retiring in 1963. He also did freelance work for Sunday Dispatch and the magazines John Bull and The Passing Show, and wrote articles for Municipal Journal and materials used by the National and Local Government Officers’ Association (NALGO).
Public service in Essex and education
In 1934 Leatherland moved to Dunton Wayletts, Essex, and became active in local politics. He broadcast for the BBC during World War II. He served as a district councillor in Laindon and Billericay, then as an Alderman on Essex County Council from 1946, leading the Labour group for 15 years. He chaired the Finance Committee for several years and was county council chairman in 1960–61. He also led the Eastern Regional Council of the Labour Party for 15 years and was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1951 for political and public service. He lived later at Buckhurst Hill.
Leatherland helped establish the University of Essex, campaigning for Essex to become the site of a new university and serving as its first treasurer until 1972. The university awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1973. He was a magistrate for 26 years and deputy chairman of the magistrates’ bench in Epping. He supported Basildon as a new town and served on Basildon Development Corporation, and he was involved with the Essex Territorial Army Association. He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Essex in 1963.
Life peerage and later life
On 16 December 1964, Leatherland was made a life peer as Baron Leatherland, of Dunton in the County of Essex, and he attended the House of Lords for about 25 years, participating in many debates.
Personal life
He married Mary Elizabeth (Mollie) Morgan in 1922. They had a daughter, Irene Mary, who worked at Labour Party headquarters, and a son, John Charles. Mollie Leatherland died in 1987 at the age of 87. Charles Leatherland died in Epping, Essex, aged 94.
Arms and legacy
Leatherland was granted a heraldic coat of arms in 1966, reflecting his public life and service. He left a lasting legacy in Essex, notably through the University of Essex and the Basildon development, and he is remembered as a prominent figure in British journalism and Labour politics.
This page was last edited on 28 January 2026, at 16:33 (CET).