Davie, Michael 1924–2005

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born January 15, 1924, in Cranleigh, Surrey, England; died December 7, 2005, in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England. Journalist and author. A longtime reporter for the London Observer, Davie also edited The Age in Australia and was well known for his coauthored biography Lord Beaverbrook: A Life (1993). After serving in the Royal Navy during World War II, he attended Merton College, Oxford, earning a B.A. in 1949. While at Oxford, he was introduced to Observer editor David Astor, who hired him in 1950. Considered a rising star at the Observer, Davie reported on a wide range of stories and was appreciated for his work mentoring younger journalists. Many saw him as a likely successor to Astor, but when Davie divorced his first wife, leaving his family and disappearing for many weeks afterwards, it proved a blow to his career. He lost his position as deputy editor and was no longer considered for the editorship of the paper. Distraught, Davie moved to Australia, where he edited The Age from 1979 to 1981. Unfortunately, a charge of contempt of court as the result of a story he published on drugs forced him to leave Australia and return to England. He continued to write for The Age, however, while also publishing a number of books. These include his Beaverbrook biography, which he wrote with his second wife, Anne. He also wrote LBJ: A Foreign Observer's Viewpoint (1966), California: The Vanishing Dream (1972), and Anglo-Australian Attitudes (2000), among other publications.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Independent (London, England), December 8, 2005, p. 38.

Observer (London, England), December 11, 2005, p. 14.

Times (London, England), December 12, 2005, p. 52.