Gerald Barry

Sir Gerald Barry (20 November 1898 – 21 November 1968) was a British newspaper editor and organiser of the Festival of Britain in 1951. According to historian F.M. Leventhal, Barry was a long-time newspaper editor, with left-leaning, middle-brow views. He was not seen as a Labour ideologue. He selected the next rank of Festival organizers, giving preference to young architects and designers who had collaborated on exhibitions for the wartime Ministry of Information. Born in Surbiton, Barry studied at Marlborough College, and planned to continue his education at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, but instead joined the Royal Flying Corps then, on its establishment, the Royal Air Force. In 1919, he took a post as a journalist at the Daily Express, and, in 1921, he moved to the Saturday Review as assistant editor, becoming editor in 1924. He resigned in 1930, refusing an order from the board of directors to support the United Empire Party. He was immediately appointed editor of the new Week-End Review, an article in which prompted the formation of the Political and Economic Planning think-tank; Barry was appointed as a founder member.