Charles Anthony Raven Crosland (1918-1977) was a British politician and Labour member of Parliament.
Educated at Highgate School and Trinity College, Oxford, Crosland served as a parachutist in Europe during the Second World War. He entered Parliament in 1950, and wrote the book The Future Of Socialism in 1956 in which he outlined his vision for the future. He was a friend and protegé of Hugh Gaitskell and under Harold Wilson was Secretary of State for Education and Science (1965-1967) and President of the Board of Trade (1967-1969). It is often claimed that he said "if there's one thing I do, I will smash every fucking grammar school in the country", probably when he was Education Secretary from 1965-67.
He was seen as a leader of the right wing of the party in the 1970s, and after Labour's return to power in 1974, he was Secretary of State for the Environment, till 1976 when he was made Foreign Secretary. He died suddenly in 1977.
