John Betjeman

John Betjeman
Betjeman in 1961
Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom
In office
20 October 1972 – 19 May 1984
MonarchElizabeth II
Preceded byCecil Day-Lewis
Succeeded byTed Hughes
Personal details
Born
John Betjemann

(1906-08-28)28 August 1906
London, England
Died19 May 1984(1984-05-19) (aged 77)
Trebetherick, Cornwall, England
Spouse
(m. 1933; sep. 1972)
Domestic partnerLady Elizabeth Cavendish
Children2, including Candida Lycett Green
EducationMarlborough College
Alma materMagdalen College, Oxford
OccupationPoet, writer, broadcaster

Sir John Betjeman, CBE (/ˈbɛəmən/; 28 August 1906 – 19 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, helping to save St Pancras railway station from demolition. He began his career as a journalist and ended it as one of the most popular British Poets Laureate and a much-loved figure on British television.