George-Brown Dies; Ex-British Foreign Secretary

LONDON — Lord George-Brown, the volatile former British foreign secretary and one-time deputy leader of the Labor Party, died in a hospital in Cornwall, his family said today. He was 70.

George-Brown died Sunday after surgery for an internal hemorrhage. The son of a truck driver, George-Brown almost became prime minister in 1964, losing a close battle to Harold Wilson for the Labor Party leadership.

He served as foreign secretary from 1966 to 1968 and deputy party leader from 1960 to 1970, when he severed his connections with the party and became a baron in the House of Lords.

Colleagues recognized his political skill but regularly winced at his lack of finesse and celebrated diplomatic gaffes. George-Brown acknowledged he drank too much but argued that Winston Churchill also drank heavily.