Harry Greenway (4 October 1934 – 18 January 2024) was an English teacher who became aConservative politician as theMember of Parliament for theEaling North constituency from 1979 to 1997. He was especially passionate about horse-riding, introduced equestrian activities to the schools that he worked for and was the President of theAssociation of British Riding Schools for many years.
Harry Greenway was born inWorcester, England on 4 October 1934,[1] the son of John Kenneth Greenway and Violet Adelaide (née Bell).[2][3] He married in 1969, Carol Elizabeth Helena, elder daughter of the late Major John Robert Thomas Hooper,barrister at law andMetropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate, and Dorinda Hooper (née de Courcy Ireland).
Greenway had two daughters, Elizabeth and Eveline, and one son, Mark. He was educated atWarwick School and theCollege of St Mark & St John, known as 'Marjon', originally based inChelsea, London, and now inPlymouth, Devon, as theUniversity of St Mark & St John. Greenway also attended theUniversity of Caen,Normandy.
Greenway was a supporter ofAston Villa FC.[4] He died after a long illness on 18 January 2024, at the age of 89.[5][1]
During the 1960s he was a schoolteacher of English and sport, later becoming the head house master of Telford House atSir William Collins Secondary School for boys (later mixed, and renamed South Camden Community School and then Regent High School), in Charrington Street,Somers Town, London, a large statecomprehensive school of about 1,200 boys at the time. He introduced several new sports to the school, including horse riding and other equine activities,winter sports, and men'shockey. He later became deputy headmaster ofSedgehill Secondary School, a very large comprehensive school in south-east London with approximately 2,200 pupils, between 1972 and 1979.
Greenway contestedStepney at the Parliamentary election in 1970 andStepney and Poplar in the two elections of February and October 1974. He was electedMP forEaling North at the1979 general election.[6] He defeated theLabour candidate for Ealing North,Hilary Benn in both the subsequent1983 and1987 general elections.[7] Greenway finally lost the seat to Labour'sStephen Pound at the1997 general election. Greenway was appointed anHonorary Freeman of theLondon Borough of Ealing on 19 February 2008.[8][9]
In 1992, Greenway, as a member of theCommons, was prosecuted for thecommon law offence of bribery of a person holding a public office. The case collapsed because of insufficient evidence of a related trial involving thePlasser railway machinery company.[10][11]
Greenway was President of the Association of British Riding Schools (ABRS) for many years, until 2002. Greenway was interviewed inMichael Moore'sTV Nation series (S1E9) about his views oncaning in schools.
Greenway was a member of the council of theOpen University, and in 2001 received anHonorary Doctorate from the university.[12]
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forEaling North 1979–1997 | Succeeded by |