Birth Name: Leonard James Callaghan
Date of Birth: March 27, 1912
Place of Birth: Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Date of Death: March 26, 2005
Place of Death: Ringmer, East Sussex, England
Ethnicity: Irish (paternal grandfather), English, possibly 1/4 or 1/8 Ashkenazi Jewish, likely some Scottish
James Callaghan was a British politician. A member of the Labour Party, he served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 5 April, 1976 to 4 May, 1979. He was a Member of Parliament for Cardiff South and Penarth, Wales, from 1945 to 1987.
Prime Minister Callaghan was the son of Charlotte Gertrude (Cundy) and James Callaghan, a chief petty officer in the Royal Navy.
Prime Minister Callaghan’s paternal grandparents were James Garoghan (the son of John Garoghan and Winifred O’Rourke, Groarck, or O Hara) and Elizabeth Bernstein/Burnstein. James was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, to Irish parents. Elizabeth was born in Manchester, Lancashire.
Prime Minister Callaghan’s maternal grandparents were William Henry Cundy (the son of Robert Cundy and Grace Burn) and Rosina Fanny McDowell (the daughter of John McDowell and Charlotte Pidgeon). John likely had Scottish ancestry, due to the surname “McDowell” being of Scottish origin.
Prime Minister Callaghan’s paternal grandmother, born Elizabeth Bernstein or Burnstein, is described in a handful of references as Jewish. It is not clear if this has been verified. Elizabeth appears with her sister, Eliza, on the 1871 England and Wales Census. One genealogy lists Elizabeth’s father’s name as Lewis Burnstein, and one lists her mother’s name as Mary Geary.
Two people of verified Jewish heritage have become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Benjamin Disraeli (serving for the Conservative Party from February 1868 to December 1868, and from 1874 to 1880) and David Cameron (serving for the Conservative Party since 2010).
Sources: Genealogy of James Callaghan – http://www.edwardjdavies.info
James’s paternal grandparents, James Garoghan and Elizabeth Bernstein/Burnstein, on the 1901 England and Wales Census – https://familysearch.org
Likely James’s paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Bernstein/Burnstein, on the 1871 England and Wales Census – https://familysearch.org