Denis Healey

Date of Birth: August 30, 1917

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Date of Death: October 3, 2015

Biography

Denis Winston Healey, Baron Healey, was a prominent British Labour Party politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979. Born into a middle-class family, Healey was educated at Bradford Grammar School and Balliol College, Oxford, where he earned a double first in Classics. His political career began post-World War II, during which he served with distinction in the Royal Engineers. Healey was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds South East in 1952 and later represented Leeds East from 1955 until his retirement in 1992. Healey held several key positions in the Labour government, including Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979. He was known for his pragmatic approach to economic policy and is credited with steering the UK through a turbulent period marked by economic crises and industrial action. After leaving Parliament, Healey was made a life peer in 1992, taking the title Baron Healey of Riddlesden.

5 Interesting Facts about Denis Healey

1. Denis Healey served in the Royal Engineers during World War II and participated in the Allied invasion of Sicily and the Italian campaign.

2. He was known for his distinctive, bushy eyebrows and his sharp wit, often using humor in his political dealings.

3. Healey was an accomplished pianist and enjoyed playing jazz music in his leisure time.

4. He authored several books, including his autobiography “The Time of My Life” and a collection of essays titled “Healey’s Eye.”

5. Denis Healey was a fierce critic of the Conservative Party and famously described being attacked by Geoffrey Howe in the House of Commons as “like being savaged by a dead sheep.”

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Denis Healey

1. “The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion is the thickness of a prison wall.”

2. “When you’re in a hole, stop digging.”

3. “World events do not occur by accident. They are made to happen, whether it is to do with national issues or commerce; and most of them are staged and managed by those who hold the purse strings.”

4. “What distinguishes the majority of men from the few is their inability to act according to their beliefs.”

5. “Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted.”