Papers of Sir Hugh Cudlipp (1913-1998), journalist and newspaper editor

The collection contains the personal papers of Hugh Cudlipp, Lord Cudlipp of Aldingbourne, former editor of the Daily Mirror and Chairman of International Publishing Corporation. They range from letters and documents concerning his early journalistic career in Cardiff and south Wales, through his rise to editorial prominence in Fleet Street and work with the IPC, and demonstrate his close connections with a wide range of people in journalism, the government and parliament.

Hugh Cudlipp was born in Cardiff in 1913 and started his career on the Penarth News in 1929. He worked on newspapers in Cardiff and Manchester before becoming features editor of the Daily Mirror and subsequently editor of the Sunday Pictorial in 1938. Following service in the Army during the Second World War, where he served in North Africa and produced a chain of Services daily newspapers, notably 'Union Jack', he returned to Fleet Street, resuming his editorship of the Sunday Pictorial.

He became managing editor of the Sunday Express in 1950 and moved to the Daily Mirror as editorial director in 1952. He remained associated with the Mirror Group through his chairmanship of the Daily Mirror Newspapers and the International Publishing Corporation until his retirement in 1973. He was made an OBE in 1945, knighted in 1973 and created a life peer in 1974.

Throughout his life Hugh Cudlipp was a personal friend and professional colleague of Cecil King and the archive contains much material relating particularly to the dismissal of Cecil King from the chairmanship of the IPC.

The archive represents a valuable resource for studying the the development and influence of of the British popular press in the post war years.

The material has been arranged into a series of sections, aiming to reflect Hugh Cudlipp's personal and professional life. The collection starts with material relating to his personal life, followed by a section concerning his friendship and professional relationship with Cecil Harmsworth King, including a considerable collection of documents relating to the dismissal of Cecil King from the chairmanship of the International Publishing Corporation. The arrangement of the first two sections is an exception to the International Standard for Archival Description (General) in accordance with the arrangement of the material by Lady Cudlipp. The third section covers the considerable correspondence with newspaper people, members of the government and MPs, writers and other personalities. Section four covers Hugh Cudlipp's personal writings, while section five covers writings by others about him. The large number of newspaper cuttings is included in section six. This particularly covers material in and about the Daily Mirror and the Mirror Group and Cecil King and the IPC. The final 'Miscellaneous' section includes a variety of artefacts, audio-visual material and personal scrapbooks. 3000 letters, 40 reports, 12 photographs, 550 cuttings, 480 other documents, 50 audio-visual items.

Access is available by prior appointment.

Shelves 502-509, F12, F14-15, F19.

This archive contains personal data regarding living individuals. This data is subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018. Access to original documents is permitted upon completion of a Data Protection Declaration. Photography of original documents is not permitted.