George Beck

Who was George Beck?

George Andrew Beck was an English prelate who served in the Roman Catholic Church as the Archbishop of Liverpool from 29 January 1964 to 7 February 1976.

George Andrew Beck was born in Streatham, in south London. He was educated at Clapham College and later at the Assumptionist College of St Michael at Hitchin in Hertfordshire. In 1927, he was ordained priest in the order of the Assumptionists. He was Headmaster of The Becket School in Nottingham and in 1948, he was appointed coadjutor Bishop of Brentwood and titular bishop of Tigias. He succeeded as Bishop of Brentwood in 1951 was subsequently Bishop of Salford from 1955 to 1964. As Bishop of Salford he continued the substantial expansion of new parishes and schools begun by his predecessor Henry Vincent Marshall to implement the Education Act. Beck was an educational expert, and successfully led negotiations with successive governments to better the position of Catholic schools across the country. In 1964 he was appointed Archbishop of Liverpool, from which he resigned at the age of 71 in 1976.