James Callaghan

**Leonard James** "**Jim**" **Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff**,  (; 27 March 1912 – 26 March 2005) was a British Labour politician who served as the 48th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) from 1976 to 1979.

Born in the 1910s, Callaghan was an old-style socialist, lacking any higher education, and served as Member of Parliament (MP) for a Cardiff constituency. He is the only person to have held all three leading UK Cabinet positions (Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary), prior to their premiership. He was never expected to reach the premiership, having taken a back seat to the younger and more charismatic Harold Wilson for many years. However, when Wilson unexpectedly announced his retirement in 1976, Callaghan was the most experienced candidate to replace him. His time as prime minister was one of more open government but the electorate was dissatisfied with his relaxed response to high inflation and more industrial unrest, and replaced Labour with a Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher.

Callaghan resigned as Leader of the Labour Party 17 monthslater, but remained an MP for some years before being sent to the House of Lords as Baron Callaghan of Cardiff.

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office4**: Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Secretary of State for  Affairs
- **primeminister4**: Harold Wilson
- **term start4**: 5 March 1974
- **term end4**: 8 April 1976
- **predecessor4**: Alec Douglas-Home, Sir Alec Douglas-Home
- **successor4**: Anthony Crosland
- **office5**: Home Secretary
- **primeminister5**: Harold Wilson
- **term start5**: 30 November 1967
- **term end5**: 19 June 1970
- **predecessor5**: Roy Jenkins
- **successor5**: Reginald Maudling
- **office6**: Chancellor of the Exchequer
- **primeminister6**: Harold Wilson
- **term start6**: 16 October 1964
- **term end6**: 30 November 1967
- **predecessor6**: Reginald Maudling
- **successor6**: Roy Jenkins
- **office7**: Secretary to the Admiralty, Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty
- **primeminister7**: Clement Attlee
- **term start7**: 2 March 1950
- **term end7**: 25 October 1951
- **predecessor7**: John Dugdale (Labour politician), John Dugdale
- **successor7**: Allan Noble, Sir Allan Noble
- **office8**: Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Parliamentary Secretary to the
- **primeminister8**: Clement Attlee
- **term start8**: 7 October 1947
- **term end8**: 2 March 1950
- **predecessor8**: George Strauss
- **successor8**: George Lucas, 1st Baron Lucas of Chilworth, The Lord Lucas of Chilworth


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office9**: Shadow Foreign Secretary
- **leader9**: Harold Wilson
- **term start9**: 19 April 1972
- **term end9**: 28 February 1974
- **predecessor9**: Denis Healey
- **successor9**: Geoffrey Rippon
- **office10**: Shadow Secretary of State for Employment
- **leader10**: Harold Wilson
- **term start10**: 19 October 1971
- **term end10**: 19 April 1972
- **predecessor10**: Barbara Castle
- **successor10**: Denis Healey
- **office11**: Shadow Home Secretary
- **leader11**: Harold Wilson
- **term start11**: 19 June 1970
- **term end11**: 19 October 1971
- **predecessor11**: Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, Quintin Hogg
- **successor11**: Shirley Williams
- **office12**: Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
- **term start12**: 2 November 1961
- **term end12**: 16 October 1964
- **predecessor12**: Harold Wilson
- **successor12**: Reginald Maudling
- **office13**: Member of the House of Lords
- **status13**: Lords Temporal, Lord Temporal
- **term label13**: Life peerage
- **term start13**: 5 November 1987
- **term end13**: 26 March 2005
- **office14**: Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament
for Cardiff South and Penarth (UK Parliament constituency), Cardiff South and Penarth

- **term start14**: 26 July 1945
- **term end14**: 18 May 1987
- **predecessor14**: Arthur Evans (politician), Arthur Evans
- **successor14**: Alun Michael
- **birth name**: Leonard James Callaghan
- **birth place**: Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
- **death place**: Ringmer, Ringmer, East Sussex, England
- **party**: Labour Party (UK), Labour
- **children**: 3, including Margaret Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington, Margaret
- **rank**: Lieutenant
- **battles**: Second World War


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **honorific-prefix**: The Right Honourable
- **name**: The Lord Callaghan of Cardiff
- **image**: James Callaghan (1975).jpg
- **caption**: Callaghan in 1975
- **office**: 48th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- **monarch**: Elizabeth II
- **deputy**: _Vacant_
- **term start**: 5 April 1976
- **term end**: 4 May 1979
- **predecessor**: Harold Wilson
- **successor**: Margaret Thatcher
- **office1**: 21st Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition
- **monarch1**: Elizabeth II
- **primeminister1**: Margaret Thatcher
- **term start1**: 4 May 1979
- **term end1**: 10 November 1980
- **predecessor1**: Margaret Thatcher
- **successor1**: Michael Foot
- **office2**: 11th Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party
- **deputy2**: Michael Foot
- **term start2**: 5 April 1976
- **term end2**: 10 November 1980
- **predecessor2**: Harold Wilson
- **successor2**: Michael Foot
- **office3**: Father of the House (United Kingdom), Father of the House of Commons
- **term start3**: 9 June 1983
- **term end3**: 18 May 1987
- **predecessor3**: John Parker (Labour politician), John Parker
- **successor3**: Bernard Braine