Difference between revisions of "Niall MacDermot"

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|nationality=UK
 
|nationality=UK
 
|birth_date=10 September 1916
 
|birth_date=10 September 1916
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|birth_place=Dublin
 
|death_date=22 February 1996
 
|death_date=22 February 1996
|death_place=
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|death_place=Geneva
|description=
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|description=British solicitor and Labour politician who was President of the [[International Commission of Jurists]] for 20 years.
 
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|spouses=Ludmila Benvenuto,Violet Maxwell
 
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|children=
 
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|alma_mater=at Rugby School and Corpus Christi College (Cambridge)
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|alma_mater=Rugby School,Corpus Christi College (Cambridge)
|political_parties=
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|political_parties=Labour Party (UK)
 
|employment={{job
 
|employment={{job
|title=Secretary-General of the International Commission of Jurists
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|title=International Commission of Jurists/Secretary-General
 
|start=1970
 
|start=1970
 
|end=1990
 
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'''Niall MacDermot''' was a British solicitor and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] politician who was in the [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]] during the Second World War.<ref>https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U180133</ref> He was President of the [[International Commission of Jurists]] for 20 years, an organization which originally was "set up and controlled by the [[CIA]] for propaganda operations"<ref>Philip Agee, Inside the Company: CIA Diary, Allen Lane, 1975, p 611.</ref>.
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==Background==
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He was the grandson of [[Hugh Hyacinth O'Rorke MacDermot]], who was [[Solicitor General for Ireland]] in 1885 and 1886, and as [[Attorney General for Ireland]] in 1892. He was also the nephew of [[Frank MacDermot]] a [[Fine Gael]] politician.
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==Education==
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MacDermot was educated at [[Rugby School]] and [[Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]], and was in the [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]] during the Second World War, where his knowledge of German was deemed to be useful. At the age of 26, in [[1944]], he was chosen for the crucial position of General Staff Officer 1, a reflection on MacDermot's perceived talent. On leaving the Forces, he returned to an increasingly lucrative legal practice.<ref name=indy/>
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He was first elected to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Lewisham North (UK Parliament constituency)|Lewisham North]], at a [[by-election]] in 1957 following the death of [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] MP [[Austin Uvedale Morgan Hudson|Sir Austin Hudson]].
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MacDermot lost his seat two years later at the 1959 general election, and unsuccessfully contested the equivalent seat at the 1961 London County Council election.  He returned to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] as MP for [[Derby North (UK Parliament constituency)|Derby North]] at a by-election in 1962.
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He was [[Financial Secretary to the Treasury]] from 1964 to 1967. His friends thought at one point that MacDermot was a possible leader of the Labour Party. His political career ended when he divorced his first wife and married his second (part Russian, part Italian) wife. He retired from the Commons at the [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970 general election]].
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From 1970 to 1990, he was Secretary-General of the [[International Commission of Jurists]], succeeding [[Sean MacBride]].<ref name=indy>https://web.archive.org/web/20121104154612/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-niall-macdermot-1321310.html</ref>
  
 
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==References==
 
==References==
 
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Latest revision as of 10:09, 26 August 2022

Person.png Niall MacDermot  Rdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(politician, spook)
Niall MacDermot.jpg
Born10 September 1916
Dublin
Died22 February 1996 (Age 79)
Geneva
NationalityUK
Alma materRugby School, Corpus Christi College (Cambridge)
Spouse • Ludmila Benvenuto
• Violet Maxwell
PartyLabour Party (UK)

Niall MacDermot was a British solicitor and Labour politician who was in the Intelligence Corps during the Second World War.[1] He was President of the International Commission of Jurists for 20 years, an organization which originally was "set up and controlled by the CIA for propaganda operations"[2].

Background

He was the grandson of Hugh Hyacinth O'Rorke MacDermot, who was Solicitor General for Ireland in 1885 and 1886, and as Attorney General for Ireland in 1892. He was also the nephew of Frank MacDermot a Fine Gael politician.

Education

MacDermot was educated at Rugby School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and was in the Intelligence Corps during the Second World War, where his knowledge of German was deemed to be useful. At the age of 26, in 1944, he was chosen for the crucial position of General Staff Officer 1, a reflection on MacDermot's perceived talent. On leaving the Forces, he returned to an increasingly lucrative legal practice.[3]

He was first elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for Lewisham North, at a by-election in 1957 following the death of Conservative MP Sir Austin Hudson.

MacDermot lost his seat two years later at the 1959 general election, and unsuccessfully contested the equivalent seat at the 1961 London County Council election. He returned to Parliament as MP for Derby North at a by-election in 1962.

He was Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1964 to 1967. His friends thought at one point that MacDermot was a possible leader of the Labour Party. His political career ended when he divorced his first wife and married his second (part Russian, part Italian) wife. He retired from the Commons at the 1970 general election.

From 1970 to 1990, he was Secretary-General of the International Commission of Jurists, succeeding Sean MacBride.[3]


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