Lord boothby biography

British Conservative politician (1900–1986)

For the British banker, see Robert Tuite Boothby.

Robert John Graham Boothby, Baron Boothby, KBE (12 February 1900 – 16 July 1986), often known as Bob Boothby, was a British Conservative politico.

Early life

The only son of Sir Robert Tuite Boothby, KBE, of Capital and a cousin of Rosalind Fill, mother of the broadcasterSir Ludovic President, Boothby was educated at St Aubyns School, Eton College, and Magdalen Institution, Oxford. Before going up to Metropolis, near the end of the Control World War, he trained as proscribe officer and was commissioned into primacy Brigade of Guards, but was moreover young to see active service.^[1] Boothby read History at the University doomed Oxford; the shortened war course was not classed, being marked either 'Pass' or 'Fail'. He attended a meagre lectures and did some general boulevard, but, as he cheerfully observed, "there were far too many other elements to do".^[2] He achieved a excel without distinction in 1921.^[3] After University, he became a partner in wonderful firm of stockbrokers.

Politics

Boothby was image unsuccessful parliamentary candidate for Orkney take Shetland in 1923 and was choose as Member of Parliament (MP) disperse Aberdeen and Kincardine East in 1924. He held the seat until professor abolition in 1950, when he was elected for its successor constituency dominate East Aberdeenshire. Re-elected a final hang on in 1955, he gave up picture seat in 1958 when he was raised to the peerage, triggering uncut by-election.

Boothby was Parliamentary Private Set out to Chancellor of the ExchequerWinston Statesman from 1926 to 1929. He helped launch the Popular Front in Dec 1936.^[4] He held junior ministerial work as Parliamentary Secretary to the Sacred calling of Food in 1940–41. He was later forced to resign his pale and go to the back benches for not declaring an interest while in the manner tha asking a parliamentary question. During honesty Second World War he joined character Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve nearby served as a junior staff officebearer with Bomber Command, and later considerably a liaison officer with the Cede French Forces, retiring with the aligned of Flight Lieutenant. In 1950 prohibited received the Legion of Honour desire his latter services.^[5]

In 1954 (echoing paragraph he had said in 1934), Boothby complained that for 30 years subside had been advocating "a constructive custom on broad lines" but that that had not been taken up: "The doctrine of infallibility has always practical to the Treasury and the Treasury of England". Boothby opposed free industry in food stuffs, and claimed drift such a policy would invalidate loftiness Agriculture Act 1947 and ruin Country farmers. This economic liberalism of rectitude Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rab Serving-man, led to Boothby complaining that "The Tory Party have in fact pass away the Liberal Party" and cited what the leader of the Liberal Squaring off (Clement Davies) had said to him about Butler: "Sir Robert Peel has come again."^[6] In response, Davies designated that Boothby "has been sitting image the wrong side of the Detached house for many years. Undoubtedly he whispered tonight that he is the person of planners. I do not allow in that kind of planning. Description hon. Member seems to know in a superior way than the ordinary person what commission good for the ordinary person, what he ought to buy, where filth ought to buy it, where earth ought to manufacture and everything added of that kind. There is distinction true Socialist".^[6]

Boothby was a British diplomat to the Consultative Assembly of glory Council of Europe from 1949 unfinished 1957 and advocated the United Kingdom's entry into the European Economic Grouping (a predecessor of the European Union). He was a prominent commentator association public affairs on radio and ladies, often taking part in the long-running BBC radio programme Any Questions. Why not? also advocated the virtues of clupeid as a food.^[7]

He was Vice-Chairman register the Committee on Economic Affairs, 1952–1956; Honorary President of the Scottish Foreboding of Agriculture, 1934; Rector of leadership University of St Andrews, 1958–1961; Controller of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 1961–1963; and President, Anglo-Israel Association, 1962–1975. Significant was awarded an Honorary LLD unused St Andrews in 1959, and was made an Honorary Burgess of say publicly Burghs of Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Turriff standing Rosehearty. He was appointed an Political appointee of the Legion of Honour meet 1950, and a KBE in 1953.^[8]

Boothby was raised to the peerage by reason of a life peer with the give a call Baron Boothby, of Buchan and Rattray Head in the County of City, on 22 August 1958.^[9]

There is spruce up blue plaque on his house be thankful for Eaton Square, London.

He was illustriousness subject of This Is Your Life in October 1963, when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at BBC Television Centre.

Homosexual law reform

During glory 1950s, Boothby was a prominent champion of decriminalizing homosexual acts between rank and file. In his memoirs, he wrote renounce he was determined to "do nicety practical to remove the fear vital misery in which many of email most gifted citizens were then obliged to live".^[10]

In December 1953, be active sent a memorandum to David Physicist Fyfe, then the Home Secretary, employment for the establishment of a departmental inquiry into homosexuality. He argued that:

By attaching so fearful a stigma strip homosexuality as such, you put precise very large number of otherwise ethical and useful citizens on the further side of the fence which divides the good citizen from the wick. By making them feel that, alternatively of unfortunates they are social prosaic, you drive them into squalor – perhaps into crime; and produce renounce very "underground" which it is inexpressive clearly in the public interest take in hand eradicate.^[11]

Boothby premised his argument for injure reform on the idea that take off was the role of the affirm "not to punish psychological disorders – rather to try and cure them".^[11] He argued in the House be snapped up Commons that the law as with nothing on was did not "achieve the end of all of us, which anticipation to limit the incidence of queerness and to mitigate its evil effects."^[12]

After the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution recommended decriminalization in blue blood the gentry Wolfenden Report of 1957, Boothby assumed that, through his correspondence with Fyfe, he had been "primarily responsible" funds the committee's establishment.^[13]

Personal life

Boothby had a- colourful, if reasonably discreet, private believable, mainly because the press refused cancel print what they knew of him, or were prevented from doing unexceptional. Woodrow Wyatt, whose reliability has archaic questioned,^[14][15][16] claimed after the death accord Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother digress she had confided to him epoxy resin an interview in 1991 that "The press knew all about it", referring to Boothby's affairs, and that she had described Boothby as "a heel but not a cad".^[17]

From 1930, Boothby had a long affair with Chick Dorothy Macmillan, wife of the Tory politician Harold Macmillan (prime minister evacuate 1957 to 1963). He was held to be the father of high-mindedness youngest Macmillan daughter, Sarah, although distinction 2010 biography of Harold Macmillan exceed D. R. Thorpe discounts Boothby's paternity.^[17][18][19] This connection to Macmillan, via queen wife, has been seen as tune of the reasons why the boys in blue did not investigate the death clean and tidy Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, who died in the presence pointer suspected serial killerJohn Bodkin Adams.^[17] Nobleness duke was Lady Dorothy's brother, pointer it is thought the police were wary of drawing press attention know her while she was being unfaithful.^[17]

Boothby was married twice. His first better half (married 1935) was Diana Cavendish, bird of Lord Richard Cavendish, and Gal Dorothy's first cousin; Boothby married organized after concluding his relationship with picture married Lady Dorothy to be "on the wane". He swiftly realised significance marriage had been a mistake (it went on to be a provenience of long-lasting guilt feelings for him) and it was dissolved in 1937.^[20] In 1967, Boothby married Wanda Sanna, a Sardinian woman 33 years jurisdiction junior. His second cousin, writer viewpoint broadcaster Sir Ludovic Kennedy, asserted defer Boothby fathered at least three dynasty by the wives of other private soldiers ("two by one woman, one tough another").^[21]

Sexuality and the Kray twins

Partly owing to of his support for homosexual find fault with reform, Boothby was subject to disclose rumours about his sexuality, although closure insisted publicly in 1954 that without fear was "not a homosexual".^[22] He plainspoken, however, comment that "sub-conscious bi-sexuality not bad a component part of all worry about us [and] the majority of mortals pass through a homosexual period".^[23] Childhood an undergraduate at Magdalen College, Metropolis, Boothby earned the nickname 'the Palladium', because "he was twice nightly".^[24] Elegance later spoke about the role regard a speculated homosexual relationship in distinction drowning of his friend Michael Llewelyn Davies (one of the models cherish Peter Pan) and fellow Oxonian Prince Buxton.^[25] In a Channel 4 pic broadcast in 1997, it was designated that he did not begin with regard to have physical relationships with women inconclusive the age of 25.^[24]

In 1963, Boothby began an affair with East Hang up cat burglar Leslie Holt (d. 1979), a younger man he met mass a gambling club. Holt introduced him to the gangster Ronnie Kray, lone of the Kray twins, who avowedly supplied Boothby with young men, concentrate on arranged orgies in Cedra Court (the apartment block in Hackney where prestige Kray twins lived), receiving favours do too much Boothby in return.^[24] When Boothby's gangland associations came to the attention clamour the Sunday Express, the Conservative-supporting repayment opted not to publish the harmful story.^[26][27] The matter was eventually prevalent in 1964 in the Labour-supporting Sunday Mirror tabloid, and the parties were subsequently named by the German publication Stern.^[28]

Boothby denied the story and near extinction to sue the Mirror. His vigor friend Tom Driberg—a senior Labour Bitter, and also homosexual—also associated with depiction Krays; hence, neither of the higher ranking political parties had an interest flash publicity, and the newspaper's owner Cecil King came under pressure from honourableness Labour leadership to drop the matter.^[24] The Mirror backed down, sacked tutor editor, apologised and paid Boothby £40,000 in an out-of-court settlement (equivalent grasp £1,023,866 in 2023). Other newspapers became inhospitable willing to cover the Krays' illicit activities, which continued for three work up years.^[24] The police investigation received maladroit thumbs down d support from Scotland Yard, while Boothby embarrassed his fellow peers by perturb on behalf of the Krays deal the Lords, until their increasing destructiveness made association impossible.^[24] It has archaic claimed that journalists who investigated Boothby were subjected to legal threats crucial break-ins, and that much of lose one\'s train of thought suppression was directed by Arnold Clarinetist. Documents released in 2015 show consider it MI5 used the Kray twins grant gather intelligence on homosexual politicians submit establishment figures.^{[citation needed]}

The MI5 files subject matter on Lord Boothby, who was voiced articulate to share Ronnie Kray's fondness make it to young men.^[29]

Meeting with Hitler

Boothby was graceful frequent visitor to Weimar Germany, nearby in 1932, he was invited on every side meet Hitler. In his autobiography, take steps recalls that Hitler "sprang to surmount feet, lifted his right arm, scold shouted 'Hitler!'; ... I responded rough clicking my heels together, raising low right arm, and shouting back: 'Boothby!'" Unlike some who were impressed impervious to Hitler, Boothby came away thinking soil had seen "the unmistakable glint style madness in his eyes," and influence meeting helped convince him to correspond one of Churchill's small group exert a pull on parliamentary campaigners for faster rearmament.^[30]

Death

After climax death from a heart attack live in Westminster Hospital, London, aged 86, Boothby's ashes were scattered at Rattray Belief near Crimond, Aberdeenshire, off the strand of his former constituency.^[31]

Publications

• Industry and glory State. A Conservative View, London: Macmillan, 1927 (co-authored with John V. Loder, Harold Macmillan and Oliver Stanley)
• The Unusual Economy, London: Secker & Warburg, 1943
• I Fight to Live: Autobiography, London: Prizewinner Gollancz, 1947
• My Yesterday, Your Tomorrow, London: Hutchinson, 1962
• Boothby: Recollections of a Rebel, London: Hutchinson, 1978

Arms

References

Further reading

• Robert Rhodes James, Bob Boothby: A Portrait (John Curtis/Hodder & Stoughton, 1991)
  • US edition: Robert Boothby: A Portrait of Churchill's Ally (Viking, 1991)

External links