Kenneth Marks

For the Australian judge, see Kenneth Marks (jurist).

Kenneth Marks
MP
Member of Parliament
for Manchester Gorton
In office
2 November 1967 – 13 May 1983
Preceded byKonni Zilliacus
Succeeded byGerald Kaufman
Majority557 (1.3%)
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
In office
April 1975 – December 1975
Prime MinisterHarold Wilson
Preceded byWilliam Hamling
Succeeded byJohn Tomlinson
Personal details
Born
Kenneth Marks

(1920-06-15)15 June 1920
Died13 January 1988(1988-01-13) (aged 67)
Political partyLabour
EducationCentral High School, Manchester
Manchester Academy (secondary school)
OccupationHead teacher

Kenneth Marks (15 June 1920 – 13 January 1988) was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.

Marks was Member of Parliament (MP) for Manchester Gorton from a 1967 by-election to 1983. From 1975 to 1979, he was a junior Environment minister.

He was educated at the Central High School, Manchester and Manchester Academy (secondary school). In 1955 he unsuccessfully contested Manchester Moss Side at the general election.[1]

Before his by-election success, Marks served as a Labour councillor on the Denton Urban District Council, representing Denton West. Prior to entering parliament he was a secondary school head teacher.[2] He was also a member of the National Union of Teachers and served on its advisory committee for secondary schools.[1] In parliament he was chairman of the Labour Party's social security group and vice chairman of its education group, as well as serving on the Select committee on Education and Science.[1] From 1970 to 1971 he served as a whip.[1]

Although Marks was reselected to fight Manchester Gorton some time before the 1983 general election, subsequent changes (the Third Periodic Review) implemented shortly before the election substantially altered the boundaries of the constituency; its largest part, Denton and Audenshaw in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, merged with Reddish in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport to form a new Denton and Reddish constituency. Gorton was included with much of the former Manchester Ardwick constituency, which was renamed Manchester Gorton.

As there were potentially three Labour MPs contesting two new seats, Marks, who was the senior of the three, stood down, allowing Andrew Bennett of Stockport North to inherit Denton and Reddish, and Gerald Kaufman to move across from Ardwick to the new Gorton seat.

References

  1. ^ a b c d The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1974. London: Times Newspapers Ltd. 1974. p. 181. ISBN 0-7230-0115-4.
  2. ^ Hansard, House of Commons, Vol. 796, Col. 1464, 26 February 1970.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Manchester Gorton
1967–1983 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
April 1975–December 1975 		Succeeded by


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