Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford
Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford (December 5, 1905 - August 3, 2001), better known to the British press simply as Lord Longford, or as the author Frank Pakenham, was a politician, author, and social reformer.The second son of the 5th Earl of Longford, he was educated at Eton and at the University of Oxford, where he met his future wife, Elizabeth Harman, and graduated with a First in Modern Greats.
At the age of 25, he joined the Conservative Party, but was soon convinced to become a socialist, partly by his future wife, whom he married on November 3, 1931. He embarked on a political career, serving as a junior minister in the Labour government of 1946-1951 and as a Cabinet member from 1964 to 1968. He was created a Knight of the Garter in 1971. Over the years he gained a reputation as an eccentric, becoming known for his efforts to rehabilitate offenders and campaigning for the release from prison of the "Moors murderer", Myra Hindley.
Under the House Of Lords Act (1999) the majority of hereditary peers lost the privilege of a seat and right to vote in the House of Lords. Lord Longford was one of a number of long-standing active members of the house who were made life peers so that they could retain their seats. He thus became Baron Pakenham of Cowley.
He and his wife, who died in October 2002 at the age of 96, had eight children, among them the writers Antonia Fraser, Rachel Billington, and Thomas Pakenham.
| Preceded by: Edward Pakenham | Earl of Longford | Followed by: Thomas Pakenham |
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