John Profumo
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John Dennis Profumo (born January 30, 1915), often called Jack Profumo, was the British Conservative cabinet minister whose indiscretions effectively discredited the government in 1963, before its defeat in 1964.
Profumo was educated at Harrow and Magdalen College, Oxford, and went into parliament in 1940. Then the youngest MP, he was one of the 41 Conservative members who voted against their own government after the Narvik debate on 7/8 May 1940, the result of which caused the prime minister Neville Chamberlain to resign. Winston Churchill succeeded him. Profumo resigned on June 5, 1963.
Profumo was married to the actress, Valerie Hobson. In 1960, he was appointed Secretary of State for War (a now-obsolete title) under Harold Macmillan, but became embroiled in a relationship with Christine Keeler, a showgirl who was simultaneously involved with an attaché at the Soviet Embassy. Profumo initially lied to Parliament regarding his involvement with Keeler and stated that he would: "issue writs for libel and slander if scandalous allegations are made or repeated outside the House." Although there was no evidence of his having passed on any state secrets, Profumo was forced to resign when the details of the affair were discovered.
He retired from public life, becoming a charity worker at Toynbee Hall, of which he became chairman in 1982. Although now retired he is still Toynbee Hall's president, and has also been involved in a number of other charities, including the Attlee Foundation, which he co-founded with Lord Longford and Roy Jenkins in 1967. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1975. His son is the journalist and novelist, David Profumo.
| Preceded by: Christopher Soames | Secretary of State for War 1960—1963 | Succeeded by: James Ramsden See also |