Peter Smithers

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Sir Peter Henry Berry Otway Smithers VRD (9 December 1913 in Yorkshire, England – 8 June 2006 in Vico Morcote, Switzerland) was a United Kingdom Conservative Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for Winchester for 14 years, and a junior Minister in the early 1960s. He also served as Secretary General of the Council of Europe from 1964 to 1969.

Life

He was educated at

called to the bar from the Inner Temple in 1936.[1]

Smithers became an officer in the

Second World War he was associated with intelligence work, being a friend and colleague of Ian Fleming, who arranged for Smithers' diplomatic career.[2] Smithers' Financial Times obituary suggests he was the model for Fleming's most famous character, Commander James Bond.[3] Other possibilities are discussed in Inspirations for James Bond
.

He received a number of diplomatic postings, being Assistant Naval Attaché at Washington, D.C., and Acting Naval Attaché at Mexico City (also covering part of Central America).

Smithers served as a councillor on Winchester Rural District Council (later amalgamated into

Foreign Office 1962–1964.[2]

Smithers was knighted in the 1970 New Year Honours.[4]

At the end of his life, he was a Swiss citizen. He died on 8 June 2006 in Vico Morcote, Ticino, Switzerland, at the age of 92.[5]

References

  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume IV 1945-1979, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1981)
  1. ISBN 978-0-19-954089-1
    . Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  2. ^
    ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 13 June 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link
    )
  3. ^ "Sir Peter Smithers, model for 007, dies at 92". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  4. ^ "No. 44999". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1969. p. 2.
  5. ^ "Sir Peter Smithers". The Daily Telegraph. 10 June 2006. Retrieved 13 June 2021.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Winchester
1950–1964 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary General of the Council of Europe
16 March 1964 – 15 September 1969 		Succeeded by
Lujo Toncic-Sorinj
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Smithers&oldid=1177148757"