Profumo, John Dennis

Profumo, John Dennis, 1915–2006, British politician. After studying at Harrow and Oxford, he entered Parliament as a Conservative member in 1940 and left in 1945 for an appointment as chief of staff in Japan. Returning to Parliament in 1950, he held several posts, becoming (1960) Harold Macmillan's secretary of war. He resigned from the cabinet in 1963 after lying to the House of Commons about his affair with teen-age showgirl Christine Keeler, who was also involved with a Soviet naval attaché. Thereafter dedicating himself to philanthropy, he was named Commander of the British Empire in 1975 for his charitable work.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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