David Blunkett

@Former British Home Secretary, Family and Facts ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician who became the first blind person to hold a ministerial position in Great Britain Blind British University Of Sheffield Leaders Political Leaders Gemini Celebrities David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician who became the first blind person to hold a ministerial position in Great Britain. Blind since birth and raised in poverty, he emerged as a successful politician through his sheer determination. After losing his father in an industrial accident, he and his mother were left virtually penniless, but with immense willpower, he earned a place at Sheffield University. Soon he became a Labour councilor and was later appointed as the leader of Sheffield Council. He chaired the Labour Party during the 1990s, gradually transforming himself into one of the leading voices calling for modernization of the party. First as the Shadow Secretary of health, and later the Shadow Secretary of education, he paved his way towards becoming the Secretary of Education in Tony Blair’s cabinet in 1997. His success as the Education Secretary saw him promoted to Home Secretary after the 2001 election. But his personal affairs interfered with his political career and he had little option but to quit the cabinet. Along with being a politician he is also a popular conference and after dinner speaker and has co-authored a number of publications. He continues to serve as a politician and his life is a source of inspiration to millions of people around the globe.

Personal Details

Birthday: June 6, 1947 Nationality: British Famous: Former British Home Secretary, University Of Sheffield, Leaders, Political Leaders Spouses: Margaret Williams (2009–present), Ruth Gwynneth Mitchell (1970–1990; divorced) Known as: Baron Blunkett, The Lord Blunkett Universities: University Of Sheffield Notable Alumnis: University Of Sheffield Information Detail Birthday June 6, 1947 Nationality British Famous Former British Home Secretary, University Of Sheffield, Leaders, Political Leaders Spouses Margaret Williams (2009–present), Ruth Gwynneth Mitchell (1970–1990; divorced) Known as Baron Blunkett, The Lord Blunkett Universities University Of Sheffield Notable Alumnis University Of Sheffield Birth Place Sheffield, England Gender Male Father Arthur Blunkett Mother Doris Blunkett Sun Sign Gemini Born in Sheffield, England Famous as Former British Home Secretary

Sheffield, England

David Blunkett born at Unsplash Birth Place

In 1970, he married Ruth Gwynneth Mitchell and the couple had three sons together, Alastair, Hugh and Andrew. In 1990, they got divorced. Unsplash Personal Life

In 2004, the ‘News of the World’ revealed his three-year affair with Kimberly Quinn, a journalist and magazine publisher. After much press speculation, it was confirmed through DNA testing that he was the father of Quinn’s eldest child. Unsplash Personal Life

In January 2009, he announced that he was engaged to be married to Margaret Williams, a doctor. On 3 October 2009, the couple got married at a church in Sheffield. Unsplash Personal Life

He was born on June 6, 1947, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, to Arthur Blunkett, a foreman for the East Midlands Gas Board, and his wife Doris Blunkett. David was blind from birth because of improperly developed optic nerves. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1959, the family faced a disaster when his father died in an industrial accident in which he fell into a vat of boiling water while at work. His family was left poverty stricken after the incident. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He received his early education from the schools for the blind in Sheffield and Shrewsbury. He went to the Royal National College for the Blind in Shrewsbury. At school, he turned down the piano lessons and insisted on a wider education. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Later he got enrolled at the University of Sheffield and earned a BA honors degree in Political Theory and Institutions. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1970, he was appointed the youngest-ever councilor on Sheffield City Council. In 1973, he obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from Huddersfield College of Education. Unsplash Career

He served on Sheffield City Council until 1988, leading the council from 1980 to 1987. During his time as the leader in 1980s, he built up support within the Labour Party and was elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee. Unsplash Career

In the 1987 general elections, he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Brightside with a large majority in a safe Labour seat and later became a party spokesman on local government. Unsplash Career

In 1992, he joined the shadow cabinet and was appointed as the Shadow Secretary of State for Health, a post he served until 1994. Then he became Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Employment until the general election of 1997. Unsplash Career

After Labour Party’s victory in the 1997 general election, he was appointed as the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, Great Britain's first blind cabinet minister. As Secretary of State, he pursued tough policies, ready to take on the teaching unions and determined to ensure basic standards of literacy and numeracy. Unsplash Career

Information	Detail
Birthday	June 6, 1947
Nationality	British
Famous	Former British Home Secretary, University Of Sheffield, Leaders, Political Leaders
Spouses	Margaret Williams (2009–present), Ruth Gwynneth Mitchell (1970–1990; divorced)
Known as	Baron Blunkett, The Lord Blunkett
Universities	University Of Sheffield
Notable Alumnis	University Of Sheffield
Birth Place	Sheffield, England
Gender	Male
Father	Arthur Blunkett
Mother	Doris Blunkett
Sun Sign	Gemini
Born in	Sheffield, England
Famous as	Former British Home Secretary

David Blunkett

British

Jun 6, 1947

Biography

Personal Details

Sheffield, England