John Jeremy Thorpe (1929 - 2014)

Born 29 Apr 1929 in South Kensington, London, Middlesex, England

Ancestors

Husband of Caroline Julia (Allpass) Thorpe — married about Jun 1968 in Lambeth, Surrey, England

Husband of Maria Donata Nanetta Paulina Gustava Erwina Wilhelmine (Stein) Thorpe — married 14 Mar 1973 in Paddington Registry Office, London, England

Died 4 Dec 2014 at age 85 in London, England

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Biography

John Jeremy Thorpe PC (29 April 1929 – 4 December 2014) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979 and as leader of the Liberal Party between 1967 and 1976.

Background

Thorpe was born in South Kensington, London on 29 April 1929. His father was John Henry Thorpe, a lawyer and politician who was the Conservative MP for Manchester Rusholme between 1919 and 1923. His mother Ursula, née Norton-Griffiths, was the daughter of another Conservative MP, Sir John Norton-Griffiths, widely known as "Empire Jack" because of his passionate imperialism.

Origins

The Thorpe family claimed kinship with distant forebears carrying the name, including Sir Robert Thorpe who was briefly Lord Chancellor in 1372, and Thomas Thorpe who was Speaker of the House of Commons in 1453–54.

Career

Thorpe was the son and grandson of Conservative MPs but decided to align with the small and ailing Liberal Party. After studying at Oxford University he became one of the Liberals' brightest stars in the 1950s. He entered parliament at the age of 30, made a rapid mark, and was elected party leader in 1967.

Trial and acquittal

In May 1979 he was tried at the Old Bailey on charges of conspiracy and incitement to murder, based on an earlier relationship with Norman Scott, a former model. Thorpe was acquitted on all charges, but the case, and the scandal surrounding it, ended his political career.

Death

His wife Marion Stein died on 6 March 2014 and he died nine months after her on 4 December 2014.

Sources

Wikipedia, Jeremy Thorpe [1]

England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, ancestry.com: John J Thorpe. Mother's Maiden Surname: Griffiths. Apr-May-Jun 1929, Kensington, London 1a 138.

England and Wales, Death Index, ancestry.com: Mr John Jeremy Thorpe, Age 85, 4 Dec 2014, London W2, England.