Jeremy Thorpe information

The Right Honourable
Jeremy Thorpe
The Right Honourable Jeremy Thorpe
	Thorpe in 1965
Leader of the Liberal Party
	In office; 18 January 1967 – 10 May 1976
President	The Lord Wade; Desmond Banks; The Lord Beaumont of Whitley; Inga-Stina Robson; Stephen Terrell; Trevor Jones; The Lord Lloyd of Kilgerran; Arthur Holt; Margaret Wingfield; Basil Goldstone
Preceded by	Jo Grimond
Succeeded by	David Steel
Member of Parliament; for North Devon
	In office; 8 October 1959 – 7 April 1979
Preceded by	James Lindsay
Succeeded by	Antony Speller
Personal details
Born	John Jeremy Thorpe; 29 April 1929; London, England
Died	4 December 2014 (aged 85); London, England
Political party	Liberal (until 1988); Liberal Democrats (from 1988);
Spouses	Caroline Allpass (m. 1968; died 1970); Marion Stein (m. 1973; died 2014);
Children	1
Parents	John Henry Thorpe; Ursula Norton-Griffiths;
Relatives	John Norton-Griffiths (maternal grandfather)
Alma mater	Trinity College, Oxford

John Jeremy Thorpe (29 April 1929 – 4 December 2014) was a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979, and as leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976. In May 1979, he was tried at the Old Bailey on charges of conspiracy and incitement to murder his ex-boyfriend Norman Scott, a former model. Thorpe was acquitted on all charges, but the case, and the furore surrounding it, ended his political career.

Thorpe was the son and grandson of Conservative MPs, but decided to align with the small and ailing Liberal Party. After reading Law at Oxford University he became one of the Liberals' brightest stars in the 1950s. He entered Parliament at the age of 30, rapidly made his mark, and was elected party leader in 1967. After an uncertain start during which the party lost ground, Thorpe capitalised on the growing unpopularity of the Conservative and Labour parties to lead the Liberals through a period of electoral success. This culminated in the general election of February 1974, when the party won 6 million votes. Under the first-past-the-post electoral system this gave them only 14 seats, but in a hung parliament, no party having an overall majority, Thorpe was in a strong position. He was offered a cabinet post by the Conservative prime minister, Edward Heath, if he would bring the Liberals into a coalition. His price for such a deal, reform of the electoral system, was rejected by Heath, who resigned in favour of a minority Labour government.

The February 1974 election was the high-water mark of Thorpe's career. Thereafter his and his party's fortunes declined, particularly from late 1975, when rumours of his involvement in a plot to murder Norman Scott began to multiply. Thorpe resigned the leadership in May 1976, when his position became untenable. When the matter came to court three years later, Thorpe chose not to give evidence to avoid being cross-examined by counsel for the prosecution. This left many questions unanswered; despite his acquittal, Thorpe was discredited and did not return to public life. From the mid-1980s he was disabled by Parkinson's disease. During his long retirement he gradually recovered the affections of his party, and by the time of his death was honoured by a later generation of leaders, who drew attention to his record as an internationalist, a supporter of human rights, and an opponent of apartheid.

^ Cook 1998, p. 162.

Cite error: There are <ref group=n> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=n}} template (see the help page).

[FOOTNOTECook1998162-1] Cook 1998, p. 162.

Jeremy Thorpe information

and 25 Related for: Jeremy Thorpe information

Jeremy Thorpe

Thorpe affair

Norman Josiffe

Marion Stein

1979 United Kingdom general election

Marsham Court

Peter Bessell

John Henry Thorpe

Hugh Grant

Jo Grimond

A Very English Scandal

February 1974 United Kingdom general election

1959 United Kingdom general election

Great Dane

Jeremy Lascelles

1970 United Kingdom general election

Stephen Frears

Hugh Grant filmography

Joseph Cantley

George Carman

October 1974 United Kingdom general election

Jim Thorpe

Trial of the century

Alex Jennings

List of awards and nominations received by Hugh Grant

The Right Honourable Jeremy Thorpe
Thorpe in 1965

Leader of the Liberal Party
In office 18 January 1967 – 10 May 1976
President	The Lord Wade Desmond Banks The Lord Beaumont of Whitley Inga-Stina Robson Stephen Terrell Trevor Jones The Lord Lloyd of Kilgerran Arthur Holt Margaret Wingfield Basil Goldstone
Preceded by	Jo Grimond
Succeeded by	David Steel^{[n 1]}
Member of Parliament for North Devon
In office 8 October 1959 – 7 April 1979
Preceded by	James Lindsay
Succeeded by	Antony Speller

Personal details
Born	John Jeremy Thorpe 29 April 1929 London, England
Died	4 December 2014(2014-12-04) (aged 85) London, England
Political party	Liberal (until 1988) Liberal Democrats (from 1988)
Spouses	Caroline Allpass (m. 1968; died 1970) Marion Stein (m. 1973; died 2014)
Children	1
Parents	John Henry Thorpe Ursula Norton-Griffiths
Relatives	John Norton-Griffiths (maternal grandfather)
Alma mater	Trinity College, Oxford