British Conservative statesman. He studied at Brasenose College, Oxford, and became an MP in 1940, holding several government posts before becoming minister of state for foreign affairs (195960) and secretary of state for war (19603). He resigned in 1963 as a result of a scandal following his admission that he had earlier been guilty of a grave misdemeanour in deceiving the House of Commons about the nature of his relationship with Christine Keeler, who was at the time also involved with a Russian diplomat. He then dedicated his life to social and charitable work, and was chairman (19825) then president of Toynbee Hall, London. He married actress Valerie Hobson (191798) in 1954. His son, David Profumo (1955 ), published Bringing the House Down: A Family Memoir in 2006.
John Dennis Profumo, CBE (January 30, 1915 – March 9, 2006), informally known as Jack Profumo, was a British politician and the central figure in the Profumo Affair of 1963, which caused severe damage to the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan and is held to have contributed to its defeat in the election the following year.
Early life and career
Profumo was the son of Albert Profumo, a prominent barrister of Italian origin, who held the title 4th Baron Profumo (originally awarded to the family by the Kingdom of Sardinia). On his father's death in 1940 Profumo inherited this title, but did not use it.
Political career
In March 1940, while still serving in the army, he was elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative at a by-election in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
At the 1945 election Profumo was defeated at Kettering by a Labour candidate, Dick Mitchison.
Profumo was a handsome, well-spoken, well-connected politician with a good war record, was highly regarded in the Conservative party, and rose steadily through the ranks of the Conservative government elected in 1951. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in November 1952, Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation in November 1953, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies in January 1957, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office in November 1958, and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in January 1959.
In July 1960, Profumo joined the Macmillan cabinet as Secretary of State for War, and was appointed a member of the Privy Council.
The "Profumo Affair"
In January 1961, at a party at Cliveden, home of Viscount Astor, Profumo met Christine Keeler, a call girl with whom he had a brief affair. The relationship lasted only a few weeks before Profumo ended it, but rumours about the affair began to circulate. The "Profumo Affair" thus took on a national security dimension, and it was this which led to the matter becoming public.
In December 1962, a shooting incident in London involving two other men who were involved with Keeler led the press to investigate her, and reporters soon learned of her affairs with Profumo and Ivanov. But the British tradition of respecting the private lives of British politicians was maintained until March 1963, when the Labour MP George Wigg, claiming to be motivated by the national security aspects of the case, referred in the House of Commons to rumours that Profumo was having an affair with Keeler. Profumo then made a personal statement in which he admitted he knew Keeler but denied there was any "impropriety" in their relationship.
Profumo's statement did not prevent newspapers publishing stories about Keeler, and it soon became apparent to Macmillan that his position was untenable. On 5 June 1963 Profumo was forced to admit that he had lied to the House: an unforgivable sin in British politics. Before making his public confession Profumo confessed the affair to his wife, who stood by him.
Profumo maintained complete public silence about the Profumo Affair for the rest of his life, even when the 1989 film Scandal and the publication of Keeler's memoirs revived the affair in the public mind.
Later life
Shortly after his resignation Profumo began to work as a volunteer cleaning toilets at Toynbee Hall, a charity based in the East End of London, and continued to work there for the rest of his life. All this work was done as a volunteer, since Profumo was able to live on his inherited wealth.
Profumo was awarded a CBE in 1975, which he received at a Buckingham Palace ceremony from Queen Elizabeth II, signalling his return to respectability.
Death and tributes
On 7 March 2006 Profumo suffered a severe stroke and was admitted to London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
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