Raymond Postgate
Raymond Postgate was an English journalist, author, and social activist born on November 6, 1896, in Cambridge. He was educated at prestigious institutions including St. John's College, Oxford. A conscientious objector during World War I, Postgate faced imprisonment for his beliefs, which were not rooted in religion. His marriage in 1918 to Daisy Lansbury, daughter of prominent pacifist George Lansbury, led to a severing of ties with his own family. Postgate began his journalism career at the Daily Herald, later helping to establish the Communist Party in England and serving as editor of its publication, the Communist. However, ideological disagreements led him to leave the party and return to the Daily Herald. Throughout his career, Postgate wrote extensively, producing biographies, contributing to various newspapers, and serving in editorial roles, including with the Encyclopedia Britannica. He is also known for his mystery novels, notably "Verdict of Twelve," published in 1940, which reflect his socialist ideals. Postgate passed away on March 25, 1971.
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Subject Terms
Raymond Postgate
Writer
- Born: November 6, 1896
- Birthplace: Cambridge, England
- Died: March 25, 1971
- Place of death: England
Biography
Raymond Postgate was born on November 6, 1896, in Cambridge, England, the eldest son of John Percival Postgate and Edith Allen. He was educated at the Perse School, Liverpool College, and St. John’s College, Oxford. During World War I, he sought an exemption from fighting as a conscientious objector, but because his objections to the war were not based upon his religion, he was jailed for two weeks in 1916. While he was imprisoned, his sister Margaret campaigned for his release. During this time, she met and married G. D. H. Cole, and the couple cowrote and published a long series of mystery novels, starting with The Brooklyn Murders in 1923
In 1918. Postgate married Daisy Lansbury, daughter of George Lansbury, the well-known pacifist and Labor Party leader. Postgate was removed from his own family circle for marrying Daisy. Starting in 1918, Postgate worked as a journalist on the Daily Herald, edited by his father-in-law. After he helped found England’s Communist Party in 1920, Postgate left the newspaper to write for the Communist, the party’s newspaper. He soon rose to the position of editor at the Communist, but he left the party over disagreements about its adherence to doctrine’s set forth by Russia. Following the split, he returned to the Daily Herald.
From the 1920’s to the 1960’s, Postgate worked at a variety of writing jobs. He published several biographies, including one of his father-in-law. He wrote for a variety of newspapers, served as a department head of Encyclopedia Britannica, and worked as a European representative for the Knopf publishing house. Postgate also wrote several mystery novels that combined murder with his belief in socialism. His most famous mystery, Verdict of Twelve, appeared in 1940. Postgate died on March 25, 1971.