Stanley Johnson

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Stanley Johnson
Stanley Johnson

Stanley Patrick Johnson (born 18 August 1940 in Cornwall) is a British politician and author. He was a Conservative MEP from 1979 to 1984, and is a noted advocate of population control and father of Boris Johnson.

Contents

[edit] Origins and early life

Johnson is the grandson of the last interior minister of the Imperial Turkish government, Ali Kemal. Kemal signed the arrest warrant for Kemal Atatürk, now regarded as the founder of modern Turkey. In 1922, Ali Kemal was assassinated, possibly by backers of Atatürk; he was at a barber's shop in Istanbul when he was abducted, transported to Izmit, where he was attacked by a mob and beaten to death. Stanley's father was born in England in 1909 (his mother died in childbirth) and brought up in that country, though Ali Kemal remained in Turkey until his death.

Johnson attended Sherborne School, Dorset, and while still an undergraduate studying Classics at Exeter College, Oxford he took part in the Marco Polo Expedition with Tim Severin and Michael de Larrabeiti, travelling on a motorcycle from Oxford to Venice and on to India and Afghanistan.

[edit] Work and interests

He has previously worked at the World Bank, has a great interest in the environment and was the Head of Prevention of Pollution Division at the European Commission from 1973 - 1979. He is a trustee of the Gorilla Organisation and a board member of Plantlife International. In 1983 he received the RSPCA Richard Martin Award for Outstanding Services to animal welfare and in 1984 he received the Greenpeace Award for Outstanding Services to the Environment.

He has published a number of books dealing with environmental issues and nine novels, including The Commissioner which was made into a film starring John Hurt.

[edit] Recent activities

He attempted a political comeback in the United Kingdom general election, 2005 when he stood for the Conservative Party in the constituency of Teignbridge. He came second behind Richard Younger-Ross of the Liberal Democrats. If he had won he would have become the first father to follow his son into Parliament.

For a time, starting on May 26, 2005, he wrote a weekly column for the G2 section of The Guardian and continues to write for various newspapers and magazines, often on environmental topics (see Stanley Johnson personal site below for details). He was one of the first regular hosts of the late night discussion programme The Last Word on Channel 4's More4 channel, and made an appearance on Have I Got News For You on May 7, 2004.

[edit] Personal life

Stanley Johnson married the painter Charlotte (nee Fawcett, later Wahl) and with her had four children, Boris, Rachel, Leo, and Jo. He later married Jennifer Kidd and had two more children, Julia and Maximilian.

[edit] Works

[edit] External links


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