Early and Personal Life
Born in Liverpool, McDonnell's family moved to the south of England when he was very young; his father became a bus driver and was a branch secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union. McDonnell attended Great Yarmouth Grammar School (became Great Yarmouth High School in 1981) on Salisbury Road in Great Yarmouth, but left at the age of 17. Afterwards, he held a series of unskilled jobs. After marrying his first wife, he studied for A-levels at night school at Burnley Technical College, and at the age of 23 he moved to Hayes in Greater London to attend Brunel University for a Bachelor of Science in Government and Politics. During this period he helped his wife run a small children's home in Hayes, and was active on behalf of his local community and for NUPE. After completing his Master of Science in Politics and Sociology at Birkbeck College he became a researcher and official with the NUM from 1977-8, and later the TUC from 1978-82. From 1985-7, he was Head of the Policy Unit at Camden Borough Council, then Chief Executive of the Association of London Authorities from 1987–95 and the Association of London Government from 1995-7.
McDonnell has two daughters from his first marriage, which ended in 1985, and a son from his second marriage to Cynthia Pinto in 1995.
Read more about this topic: John McDonnell (politician)
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