John Wolfenden, Baron Wolfenden

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John Frederick Wolfenden, Baron Wolfenden, KB, CBE (1906 — 1985) was a British education figure probably most famous for chairing the Wolfenden report on the legalisation of homosexuality, which was published in 1957.

Early in his career Lord Wolfenden was the headmaster of Uppingham and Shrewsbury and chairman of various government committees which mostly focused on education and problems with youth. He was chairman of the committee that produced the Wolfenden report.

Later he became Vice-Chancellor of University of Reading and during this period wrote two books, Family Affair and The Steele Age, both part of the series of Take Home Books.

Wolfenden was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1942, and was knighted in 1956.

In 1969 he was appointed as director of the British Museum, a post that he left in 1973. In 1974 he was made a life peer as Baron Wolfenden, of Westcott in Surrey.

[edit] Thoughts and Ideas of John Wolfenden

In his essay, The Gap – The Bridge, Wolfenden discusses the problems with institutional dichotomy.

Preceded by Sir Frank Francis

Director of the British Museum 1969–1974

Succeeded by Sir John Pope-Hennessy