Martin Wainwright MBE is a British journalist and author. He left The Guardian after 37 years at the end of March 2013. [1]
He was born in Leeds, [2] and educated at Shrewsbury School and Oxford University. His father Richard Wainwright was the Liberal MP for Colne Valley (1966–70, February 1974–87) after a career in accountancy. [3]
Wainwright was The Guardian's Northern Editor [2] for seventeen years until the end of 2012, when he was succeeded by Helen Pidd. [1] His contributions to the newspaper have mostly reflected this emphasis [4] but not exclusively. [5]
He has written several books on northern or countryside topics, including a biography of the unrelated Alfred Wainwright and a guide to the Coast to Coast Walk. Other books are on the Morris Minor and Mini cars. He writes a blog about another interest, moths. [6]
Wainwright was awarded an MBE in the 2000 New Year Honours, "For services to the National Lottery Charities Board in Yorkshire and Humberside." [7]
He was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Leeds in 2013. [8]
He is chair of the trustees of the Scurrah Wainwright Charity, named after his grandfather Henry Scurrah Wainwright OBE (1877-1968), a Leeds chartered accountant with interests in social reform and delphiniums, [9] [10] [11] and a trustee of the Andrew Wainwright Reform Trust, named for his brother who died in 1974. [12] [13]
One of Martin Wainwright's two sisters, Hilary, is the radical academic who has long been associated with the Red Pepper magazine.
His two sons are both journalists – Oliver [14] is the Guardian's architecture and design critic [15] and Tom is the Economist's Mexico City bureau chief. [16]