(CNN)Here’s a look at the life of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
personally
Date of birth: February 20, 1951
Place of birth: Glasgow, Scotland
Birth Name: James Gordon Brown
Father: John Brown, minister of the Church of Scotland
Mother: Jessie Elizabeth “Bunty” (Souter) Brown
Marriage: Sarah Macaulay (since August 3, 2000)
Children: James Fraser, John and Jennifer Jane
Education: University of Edinburgh, MA, History, 1972; Edinburgh University, Ph.D., History, 1982
Religion: Church of Scotland (Presbyterian)
Other facts
Is blind in his left eye and has lost most of his vision in his right eye as a result of being kicked in the head during a rugby match as a teenager.
Daughter Jennifer Jane died of a brain hemorrhage 10 days after giving birth prematurely.
timeline
1972-1975 – Youngest ever Rector at the University of Edinburgh.
1976-1980 – Lecturer/Professor at Glasgow College of Technology.
1980-1983 – Journalist and Current Affairs Editor for Scottish Television.
1983-1984 – Leader of the Labor Party in Scotland.
1983-2005 – Member of Parliament (MP) representing Dunfermline East.
1987-1989 – Shadow (Opposition) Chief Secretary of the Treasury.
1989-1992 – Shadow (opposition) spokesman for trade and industry.
1992-1997 – Shadow Chancellor of Great Britain.
1997-2007 – Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treasury), the branch of UK government responsible for collecting and managing government finances.
2005 – Elected MP representing the towns of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath in the Fife region of Scotland.
2006 – Brown’s son James Fraser was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at four months old.
May 11, 2007 – Launches his campaign to become Prime Minister, “Gordon Brown for Britain”. Tony Blair officially endorses his candidacy.
May 16, 2007 – Receives 313 nominations from Labor MPs, guaranteeing he will take the lead.
June 11, 2007 – Surprise visit to Iraq and meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
June 24, 2007 – Blair hands over leadership of the Labor Party to Brown during a conference of party members in Manchester, England.
June 27, 2007 – Becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
July 29, 2007 – Brown meets with US President George W. Bush at Camp David, his first visit to the United States as Prime Minister.
February 18, 2008 – Signs legislation nationalizing Northern Rock mortgage lender, first government bailout of UK bank since 1984.
April 15, 2008 – Arrive in the United States for a trip that includes a meeting at the United Nations, discussions with President Bush on economic/diplomatic relations, and an introduction to the remaining presidential candidates.
May 23, 2008 – Meeting with the Dalai Lama at the Archbishop of Canterbury’s London residence. China condemned the meeting, saying, “It interferes with China’s internal affairs and also hurts the Chinese people’s feelings.”
December 17, 2008 – Announces that British troops will withdraw from Iraq before June 2009.
March 2, 2009 – Arrived in the United States for a week of meetings, some with US President Barack Obama.
June 2009 – Reorganizes his cabinet after several resignations. Also agrees to closed-door hearings on Britain’s role in Iraq war.
February 2010 – An honest interview for British television. For the first time, Brown has spoken openly about the death of his first child, Jennifer Jane, his son Fraser’s illness and his relationship with Blair.
March 6, 2010 – Visit British troops in Afghanistan and promise them 200 new patrol vehicles that are more resistant to roadside bombs.
May 11, 2010 – Resigns as Prime Minister after Labor comes second in general election on 6 May.
July 11, 2011 – The Guardian newspaper publishes claims that The Sun newspaper, owned by Rupert Murdoch, illegally obtained information about Brown’s son and published a story about the child’s illness. Brown replied in a statement: “The family was shocked by the level of crime and the unethical means by which personal information was obtained. The matter is in police hands.”
July 12, 2011 – The Sun denies that it illegally obtained information about Brown’s son.
July 12, 2011 – Brown accuses Rupert Murdoch’s Sunday Times newspaper of having “connections with criminals” and claims the newspaper illegally collected information about his bank account, legal files and taxes.
June 11, 2012 – Appears before the Leveson Inquiry to discuss his personal experiences with The Sun newspaper and Murdoch, his views on media rights versus citizens’ rights and issues with several British politicians.
July 2012 – Appointed United Nations Special Envoy for Global Learning by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
December 1, 2014 – Announces he will be stepping down as MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath in the 2015 general election.
December 7, 2015 – Investment management firm PIMCO said it hired Brown and four others, including Ben Bernanke and Jean-Claude Trichet, to form a global advisory board.
2017 – The memoir “My Life, Our Times” is published.
January 2019 – The Wall Street Journal reports that Brown will join the advisory board of Partners Group, a private equity firm in Switzerland.
June 10, 2021 – Brown’s book Seven Ways to Change the World is published.
January 2022 – Brown is helping to start a petition urging the government to address the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Add Comment