28 Facts About Terry Pitt

Terence John Pitt was a British political researcher and adviser.

Terry Pitt became well known behind the scenes as the long-serving head of the Labour Party's research department, and worked for other bodies.

Terry Pitt was born in Willenhall, an urban part of Staffordshire near to Walsall; he attended Queen Mary's School in Walsall and then went on to Birmingham College of Advanced Technology where he studied science.

When Shore was elected to Parliament in the election, Terry Pitt applied for the post of Head of the Research Department.

Terry Pitt was appointed early in 1965, after an internal candidate who was favourite for the role resigned on being told that it would not be expanded and salaries would not be raised.

Terry Pitt played a key role in running the Labour Party's campaign in the 1966 general election, drafting a manifesto for January 1966, and sitting on each morning's meeting discussing campaign tactics.

Terry Pitt took a particular interest in the Labour Party Young Socialists and challenged the entryist tactics of the various Trotskyist groups by the force of his argument for a democratic Socialist party, thus encouraging the loyalist YS Action Committee, which held off the hard line groups for several years.

Terry Pitt was considered as a candidate for the General Secretaryship of the Labour Party in 1968, and considered a frontrunner for Deputy General Secretary early the next year, but was not chosen for either.

Later in 1969 Terry Pitt offered himself as a candidate for selection in the safe constituency of Islington East, obtaining the backing of some Islington councillors, but the association selected instead journalist John Grant.

Terry Pitt again headed the sub-committee writing the actual manifesto, but at a crucial stage Pitt was taken out of the party's planning when he was selected as the Labour Party candidate for Lichfield and Tamworth on 21 May 1970.

Terry Pitt beat Keith Kyle and Betty Boothroyd to the nomination.

Terry Pitt continued his search for a Parliamentary seat, being defeated in the selection for Cannock in 1971.

Terry Pitt moved to the left during the period after 1970, and in spring 1972 he produced a 40,000 word policy statement for the Labour Party which was poorly received by senior spokesmen.

Later the Research Department's publication of a policy statement calling for nationalisation of the top 25 companies caused a political storm; Terry Pitt defended the statement, asserting that it would not require increased taxation.

Terry Pitt's role was to prepare a White paper on devolution to Scotland and Wales.

However, Terry Pitt resigned in October 1974, a decision said to be motivated by his reluctance to be a civil servant for a lengthy period.

Terry Pitt had another chance to get into Parliament in early 1975 when the disappearing Labour MP John Stonehouse was traced to Australia, and his constituency party called on him to resign; Terry Pitt was said to be the frontrunner for the selection in Walsall North.

In 1978 Terry Pitt contributed to John Mackintosh's book "People and Parliament".

In 1978 Terry Pitt became a founding director of the Institute of National Affairs of Papua New Guinea, a public policy think tank addressing economic and social issues in that then newly independent nation, working overseas for three years.

Terry Pitt returned to the United Kingdom in 1981 to be Senior Adviser on Economic Development to the Labour-run West Midlands County Council.

At the 1984 election to the European Parliament, Terry Pitt was selected as Labour candidate for Midlands West, a constituency which included the towns of Dudley and Wolverhampton; he won the seat by 19,685 votes.

Terry Pitt was appointed to the Committee on Budgets, and became the spokesman on budgets for the Labour group of Members.

Terry Pitt sat on the Delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand.

On 3 October 1986 Terry Pitt collapsed in a taxi in Birmingham, and was taken to East Birmingham hospital.

Terry Pitt died there later that day at the age of 49.

The circumstances required an inquest which found that death was caused by Terry Pitt choking on chewing gum.

Terry Pitt had taken up using nicotine-replacement gum after giving up smoking.

The inquest found that Terry Pitt had a heart condition which could have killed him at any time and returned a verdict of accidental death.