Edward Geoffrey Luce (born 1 June 1968) is an English journalist and the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' chief US commentator and columnist based in
Washington, D.C.
Early life
Luce is the son of Rose Helen (born Nicholson) and Richard Luce, Baron Luce. His father served as Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2006, Governor of Gibraltar, a Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Member of Parliament (MP) (1971 to 1992), government minister, and a crossbench
A crossbencher is a minor party or independent politician, independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. ...
member of the House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
. His paternal grandfather is William Luce, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Aden
Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...
, Political Resident in the Gulf and Special Representative to the Foreign Secretary (Lord Home) for Gulf Affairs. His great-uncle admiral David Luce served as First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord, officially known as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS), is the title of a statutory position in the British Armed Forces, held by an Admiral (Royal Navy), admiral or a General (United Kingdom), general of the ...
from 1963 to 1966. His maternal great-grandfather is vice-admiral Trevylyan Napier, who served as Commander-in-Chief in the America and West Indies Station from 1919 to 1920. His first cousin is actress Miranda Hart.
Education
Luce was educated at various private boarding schools in Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
, latterly at Lancing College
Lancing College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18 in southern England, UK. The school is located in West S ...
, near the coastal village of Lancing. He graduated with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Philosophy, politics and economics, or politics, philosophy and economics (PPE), is an interdisciplinary undergraduate or postgraduate academic degree, degree which combines study from three disciplines. The first institution to offer degrees in P ...
(PPE) in 1990 from the University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
where he was an undergraduate student at New College, Oxford
New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...
. He subsequently received a postgraduate diploma fILE:Prédio Pós Graduação IMECC Unicamp.jpg, The State University of Campinas, as well as many Brazilian universities, offer Postgraduate courses in Brazil
A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PGD) is a postgraduat ...
in newspaper journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
from City, University of London
City, University of London was a public university from 1966 to 2024 in London, England. It merged with St George's, University of London to form City St George's, University of London in August 2024. The names "City, University of London" an ...
.
Career
Between 1993 and 1994, Luce was a correspondent for ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' in Geneva, Switzerland.[
Luce joined the ''Financial Times'' in 1995 and initially reported from the Philippines,][ after which he took a one-year sabbatical working in Washington, D.C., as speechwriter for Lawrence Summers, then U.S. Treasury Secretary (1999–2001) during the administration of ]Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
.[
Luce was the ''Financial Times'''s Washington bureau chief and South Asia bureau chief based in ]New Delhi
New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
before he became the paper's chief US commentator and columnist. He served as the ''Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' South Asia bureau chief from 2001 to 2006.
Luce is also the author, along with colleague Rana Foroohar, of the weekly '' Swamp Notes'' newsletter, which covers the intersection of money, power, and politics in America.[
]
Publications
*
In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India
'[ (2006)
* ''Time to Start Thinking: America in the Age of Descent''] (2012)
* ''The Retreat of Western Liberalism'' (2017)
* ''Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America's Great Power Prophet'' (2025)
Personal life
Luce was married to Priya Basu, the World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
’s lead economist for South Asia; they divorced in March 2015. Luce subsequently married Niamh King, a director of the Aspen Strategy Group and the Aspen Security Forum, in June 2017 in Chicago.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luce, Edward
1968 births
Alumni of City, University of London
Alumni of New College, Oxford
British non-fiction writers
English male journalists
Financial Times people
Living people
People educated at Lancing College
Sons of life peers
Writers from Sussex