Charles Vere WintourCBE (18 May 1917 – 4 November 1999) was a Britishnewspaper editor. He was the father ofAnna Wintour, theVogue magazine editor-in-chief, andPatrick Wintour, the diplomatic editor ofThe Guardian newspaper. After a life in media and publishing, Charles Wintour became the editor-in-chief of theLondon Evening Standard.

Under his leadership, theEvening Standard was described as a "blend of popular and serious news and opinion" which prefigured many of thebroadsheets of the 21st century".^[1] Wintour was educated at theUniversity of Cambridge, where he editedGranta magazine.

Wintour was born inPamphill Manor, nearWimborne,Dorset to Alice Jane Blanche Foster and Major-GeneralFitzgerald Wintour.^[2] He was the brother ofCordelia Mary Wintour. He wrote articles for theRadio Times when he was atOundle School and won a prize awarded by theDaily Mail. He went up toPeterhouse, Cambridge to read English and history. At Cambridge, he edited briefly theGranta magazine withEric Hobsbawm.^[3]

After Cambridge, Wintour took an advertising job in London but left at the start ofWorld War II to join theRoyal Norfolk Regiment. During the war, he was awarded the militaryMBE, theCroix de Guerre and theBronze Star.^[3]

In 1946, Wintour became a leader writer for theLondon Evening Standard. He was soon promoted to political editor, then moved to theSunday Express as assistant editor. He returned to theStandard as deputy editor, during which he convincedLord Beaverbrook to launch theEvening Standard Awards for theatre in 1955.^[3] Wintour became managing editor of theDaily Express in 1958, then in 1959 moved back to theStandard as editor.^[4]

Although circulation fell under Wintour's editorship, he was well-regarded and was considered for the post of editor ofThe Times in 1967.^[3] He was particularly passionate about the paper's politics and high-society gossip column, theLondoner's Diary, once saying: "To go to a decent London dinner party without having read the Diary would be to go out unprepared for proper conversation."

Wintour remained the editor until 1976, when he became managing director of theDaily Express and supervised its transition from abroadsheet to atabloid.^[5] He negotiated to merge theLondon Evening Standard with theEvening News and championed for keeping the staff and approach of theStandard. As a result, the merger was called off. The Express Group was sold toTrafalgar House, and new ownerVictor Matthews appointed Wintour editor of theStandard again in 1978. In 1979, Wintour joined thePress Council and served for two years. In 1980, theStandard and theNews were finally merged. While the name of theStandard was kept, Wintour and his senior executives were replaced by formerNews editorLouis Kirby and his executives.^[3]

In 1981, Wintour launched theSunday Express Magazine with his new wife Audrey Slaughter.^[6] In 1984, they launchedWorking Woman magazine. A year later, Wintour became editor of thePress Gazette and advised on the launch ofToday,The Independent, the newDaily News,^[3] and the breakfast television showTV-am.^[5]

He wrote two books based on his experience:Pressures on the Press in 1972,^[7] an account of decision-making during every hour of the day in a newsroom; andThe Rise and Fall of Fleet Street in 1989,^[8] an analysis of London'sFleet Street as a publishing centre and the people responsible for its historic rise and the more recent responses to new technology.

Wintour retired in 1989 and spent his later years supporting theLiberal Democrats and chairing the regionalNational Art Collections Fund.^[4]

Wintour died in London, U.K. on November 4, 1999. He was 82.

Organisers of major drama awards have acknowledged Wintour's impact on London theatre. When he retired in 1982, theSociety of London Theatre gave him theSociety of London Theatre Special Award, which usually went to actors, directors and such. After his death, hisEvening Standard Theatre Awards added his name into one category to create The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright. At his memorial wake in 1999 that was supervised by his daughter Anna, the playwrightHarold Pinter read from his work and expressed gratitude for his playThe Caretaker winning the Best Play award in 1960,^[9] which lifted off his career.

In 1940 Wintour married Eleanor "Nonie" Trego Baker. They divorced in 1979. A year later, he married Audrey Slaughter with whom he was involved in magazine publishing.

He had five children, including the prominent journalistsAnna andPatrick.^[5]

• Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge
• British recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
• English newspaper editors
• English male journalists
• British Army personnel of World War II
• Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
• People educated at Oundle School
• Royal Norfolk Regiment officers
• 1917 births
• 1999 deaths
• London Evening Standard people
• Wintour family
• Military personnel from Dorset

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