Portrait of Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury

Birthday profile

Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury

Mervyn King, English economist and academic

Born
March 30, 1948
Age in 2026
78
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1948

About Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury

Mervyn Allister King, Baron King of Lothbury, (born 30 March 1948) is a British economist and public servant who was governor of the Bank of England from 2003 to 2013. Emeritus Professor of the London School of Economics and chairman of the Philharmonia since 2020, Lord King served as president of Marylebone Cricket Club for 2024/25. Born in Buckinghamshire, King was educated at Wolverhampton Grammar School, Staffordshire, before going up to read economics at King's College, Cambridge, and Harvard University. Elected a Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, working as a researcher on the Cambridge Growth Project he then taught at the University of Birmingham, Harvard and MIT, before becoming a professor of economics at the London School of Economics. He joined the Bank of England in 1990 as a non-executive director, and became the chief economist in 1991. In 1998, he was promoted deputy governor of the Bank and a member of the Group of Thirty. King was appointed as Governor of the Bank of England in 2003, succeeding Sir Eddie George. Most notably, he oversaw the Bank during the 2008 financial crisis and ensuing Great Recession. King retired from office as Governor in June 2013, being succeeded by Mark Carney. Created a life peer in July 2013, Lord King entered the House of Lords as a crossbencher. From 2014 until 2022 he was professor of economics and law, a joint chair at New York University's Stern School of Business and School of Law. In October 1984 he was appointed Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics where he founded the Financial Markets Group. Succeeding Sir Eddie George as Governor on 1 July 2003, he became the first incumbent Governor of the Bank of England to receive an audience with Queen Elizabeth II. Emeritus Professor of the London School of Economics and Chairman of the Philharmonia since 2020, Lord King serves as President of Marylebone Cricket Club for 2024/25.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury timeline

  1. In October 1984 he was appointed Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics where he founded the Financial Markets Group.
  2. Succeeding Sir Eddie George as Governor on 1 July 2003, he became the first incumbent Governor of the Bank of England to receive an audience with Queen Elizabeth II.
  3. Created a life peer in July 2013, Lord King entered the House of Lords as a crossbencher.
  4. Emeritus Professor of the London School of Economics and Chairman of the Philharmonia since 2020, Lord King serves as President of Marylebone Cricket Club for 2024/25.

The world when Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury was born

Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury was born in 1948. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1948

  • #1 song"Twelfth Street Rag" – Pee Wee Hunt
  • Top movieHamlet
  • Top TV showTexaco Star Theater (Milton Berle)
  • Best-selling bookThe Naked and the Dead – Norman Mailer

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentCleveland Indians win the World Series
  • Top headlineState of Israel declared
  • Technology milestoneLong-playing vinyl record (LP) introduced
  • Defining fadTelevision sets in homes
  • Notable inventionVelcro
  • World population2.50 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderHarry S. Truman
  • Sports championCleveland Indians (World Series)
  • Also wonBaltimore Bullets (BAA)
  • U.S. population146.6M

1948 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19482026
Gas$0.26$3.45/gal
Average home$8,300$435,000
Average income$5,000$67,500
Minimum wage$0.40$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.40$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population146.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Library of Congress. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.