Michael Curtis was a British newspaper editor and executive. Curtis was born in Cambridge and studied at St Lawrence College, Ramsgate and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. During World War II, he fought with the Duke of Wellington's Regiment. He was injured in 1943, and after recovery, returned to Cambridge University to complete his degree. In 1944, Curtis joined the Eastern Daily Press as a reporter, then in 1946 he joined the News Chronicle. He was promoted to become Deputy Editor in 1953, and in 1954, he became Editor. Politically, he kept the newspaper aligned with the Liberal Party, and opposed the Suez invasion, a decision which led to a significant decrease in the paper's circulation. As Editor, Curtis proposed a succession of ideas intended to revive the paper's circulation: to start using a broadsheet format, to form a partnership with Granada Television, to merge with the Daily Herald, and finally to increase the price by a halfpenny in order to boost profits. Each idea was rejected by owner Laurence Cadbury. In 1957 Curtis finally resigned. Curtis later worked as executive aide to the Aga Khan, writing speeches and organising publicity. 

February 28th, 1920 in   /  Died:   Jul 3rd, 2004