Lord Swann; Former Chairman of BBC

Lord Swann, 70, governor and chairman of the British Broadcasting Corp. from 1973 to 1980. Born Michael Meredith Swann, he studied at Cambridge University and served in the British army in World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He went on to lecture on zoology at Cambridge University and had a career as a biologist before joining the BBC. When Swann’s term as chairman of the BBC ended, he became provost at Oriel College, Oxford. After a year, he was named chancellor of the University of York, a position he held until his death, the BBC said. Swann was knighted in 1972, and made a life peer, becoming Lord Swann in 1981. In London on Saturday of causes not disclosed in the BBC announcement.