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Paddy Ashdown
The Right Honourable The Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon | |
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Chair of the Liberal Democrat General Election Committee | |
In office 26 September 2012 – 7 May 2015 | |
Leader | Nick Clegg |
Preceded by | Willie Rennie (2010, Campaigns and Communications Chair) |
Succeeded by | Greg Mulholland (Campaigns and Communications Chair) |
High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
In office 27 May 2002 – 30 May 2006 | |
Preceded by | Wolfgang Petritsch |
Succeeded by | Christian Schwarz-Schilling |
Leader of the Liberal Democrats | |
In office 16 July 1988 – 11 August 1999 | |
Deputy | Russell Johnston Alan Beith |
President | Ian Wrigglesworth Charles Kennedy Robert Maclennan Baroness Maddock |
Preceded by | David Steel (Liberal Party) Robert Maclennan (SDP) |
Succeeded by | Charles Kennedy |
Member of Parliament for Yeovil | |
In office 9 June 1983 – 7 June 2001 | |
Preceded by | John Peyton |
Succeeded by | David Laws |
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
In office 10 July 2001 Life Peerage – 22 December 2018 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Jeremy John Durham Ashdown 27 February 1941 New Delhi, British Raj (now New Delhi, India) |
Died | 22 December 2018 Norton-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, England | (aged 77)
Nationality | British |
Political party | Liberal Democrats |
Spouse(s) | Jane Courtenay (m. 1962–present) |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Bedford School |
Website | www.parliament.uk |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/branch | Royal Marines |
Years of service | 1959–1972 |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | Special Boat Service |
Battles/wars | Indonesian Confrontation Operation Banner |
Awards | Naval General Service Medal (1915-62) Borneo Clasp
General Service Medal (1962-2007) Northern Ireland Clasp |
Jeremy John Durham 'Paddy' Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon GCMG CH KBE PC (27 February 1941 – 22 December 2018) was a British politician and international diplomat. He was the leader of the Liberal Democrats from July 1988 to August 1999.
Biography
Paddy Ashdown was born in New Delhi, British India[1], but was brought up in Northern Ireland[2] and his Irish accent brought him the nickname 'Paddy'. He served in the Royal Marines from 1959 to 1972 and saw fighting in Borneo, Hong Kong and Northern Ireland. At the 1983 General Election, Paddy Ashdown became the Liberal Party Member of Parliament for the constituency of Yeovil.
In 1988, when the Liberal Party merged with the Social Democratic Party to form the Liberal Democrats, Ashdown was elected the leader of the new party and led the party through the 1992 and 1997 General Elections. He resigned in 1999[3] and was given both a knighthood and a seat in the House of Lords. In the House of Lords, he was given the name Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon. From 2002 to 2006 he was the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
His reputation was damaged slightly in 1992, when it was revealed that he had a five-month extra-marital affair with his secretary[4] and many British newspapers exposed this in great detail. The Sun newspaper ran a famous headline which played on Ashdown's name, calling him 'Paddy Pants-Down'.
Ashdown was diagnosed with "serious" bladder cancer in October 2018.[5] He died two months later on 22 December 2018 from the disease in Norton-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, aged 77.[6]
References
- ↑ "Curriculum Vitae: Paddy Ashdown". Office of the High Representative (OHR) and EU Special Representative (EUSR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 27 May 2002. Archived from the original on 10 November 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071110154937/http://www.ohr.int/ohr-info/hrs-dhrs/default.asp?content_id=28051. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
- ↑ Jonathan Sale (18 October 2001). "An education in the life of Lord Ashdown: 'I was bullied early on, but then I learnt to fight'". The Independent (London). http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article162427.ece. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
- ↑ "Ashdown to quit as leader". BBC News. 20 January 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/259260.stm.
- ↑ Lucy Ward (21 January 1999). "End of the Ashdown era". The Guardian (London). http://politics.guardian.co.uk/libdems/story/0,9061,446036,00.html. Retrieved 22 November 2007.
- ↑ "Ex-Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown diagnosed with bladder cancer". Sky News. November 2, 2018. https://news.sky.com/story/ex-liberal-democrat-leader-paddy-ashdown-diagnosed-with-bladder-cancer-11542693.
- ↑ "Ex-Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown dies aged 77". BBC News. 22 December 2018. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46662546. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
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- 1941 births
- 2018 deaths
- British military people
- Cancer deaths in England
- Deaths from bladder cancer
- Former Liberal Democrat MPs (UK)
- Former members of the British House of Commons for English constituencies
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Leaders of the Liberal Democrats (UK)
- Liberal Party (UK) MPs
- Members of the House of Lords
- Northern Ireland politicians
- People from New Delhi
- People of British India
- UK MPs 1983–1987
- UK MPs 1987–1992
- UK MPs 1992–1997
- UK MPs 1997–2001
- United Kingdom Life Peers