Peter Smithers
Encyclopedia
Sir Peter Henry Berry Otway Smithers (9 December 1913 in Yorkshire
, England
– 8 June 2006 in Vico Morcote
, Switzerland
) was a United Kingdom
Conservative Party
politician. He was a 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.
He was educated at Harrow School
and Magdalen College, Oxford
. He received a First Class Honours Degree in Modern History. He was called to the bar
from the Inner Temple
in 1936.
Smithers became an officer in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1937 and by 1958 he retired as a Lieutenant Commander
. During the Second World War he was associated with intelligence work, being a friend and colleague of Ian Fleming
, who arranged for Smithers diplomatic career.
Smithers' Financial Times
obituary suggests he was the model for Fleming's most famous character, Commander James Bond
. 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 1946-50.
He was elected as MP for Winchester at the 1950 general election
and sat until he resigned in January 1964 on his appointment to the Council of Europe
post. He had previously been a British delegate to the Council.
He was Parliamentary Private Secretary
to a number of Ministers before becoming Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign Office 1962-1964.
At the end of his life, he was a Swiss citizen. He died on June 8, 2006 in Vico Morcote
, Ticino
, Switzerland
at the age of 92. It was claimed in 2011 that his death had been an assisted suicide
through drinking a solution of Sodium Pentobarbital
.
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
– 8 June 2006 in Vico Morcote
Vico Morcote
Vico Morcote is a municipality in the district of in the Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-Geography:Vico Morcote has an area, , of . Of this area, or 16.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 72.8% is forested...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) was a United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. He was a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Winchester for 14 years, and a junior Minister in the early 1960s. He also served as Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Secretary General of the Council of Europe
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe is appointed by the Parliamentary Assembly on the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers for a period of five years...
from 1964 to 1969.
He was educated at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
. He received a First Class Honours Degree in Modern History. He was called to the bar
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
from the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1936.
Smithers became an officer in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1937 and by 1958 he retired as a Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
. During the Second World War he was associated with intelligence work, being a friend and colleague of Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
, who arranged for Smithers diplomatic career.
Smithers' Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
obituary suggests he was the model for Fleming's most famous character, Commander James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
. Other possibilities are discussed in Inspirations for James Bond
Inspirations for James Bond
A number of real-life inspirations have been suggested for James Bond, the sophisticated fictional character and British spy created by Ian Fleming. Although the Bond stories were often fantasy-driven, they did incorporate some real places, incidents and, occasionally, organisations such as...
.
He received a number of diplomatic postings, being Assistant Naval Attaché at Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and Acting Naval Attaché at Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
(also covering part of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
).
Smithers served as a councillor on Winchester Rural District Council 1946-50.
He was elected as MP for Winchester at the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
and sat until he resigned in January 1964 on his appointment to the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
post. He had previously been a British delegate to the Council.
He was Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to a number of Ministers before becoming Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign Office 1962-1964.
At the end of his life, he was a Swiss citizen. He died on June 8, 2006 in Vico Morcote
Vico Morcote
Vico Morcote is a municipality in the district of in the Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-Geography:Vico Morcote has an area, , of . Of this area, or 16.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 72.8% is forested...
, Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
at the age of 92. It was claimed in 2011 that his death had been an assisted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
through drinking a solution of Sodium Pentobarbital
Pentobarbital
Pentobarbital is a short-acting barbiturate that was first synthesized in 1928. Pentobarbital is available as both a free acid and a sodium salt, the former of which is only slightly soluble in water and ethanol....
.