Wikipedia

Albert Profumo

Don Albert Peter Anthony Profumo, 6th Baron Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia, KG FRAM(Hon) OCI (born Alberto Pier Antonio Profumo; 20 April 1879 - 27 March 1940), was an English barrister, Philanthropist and father of former British Minister (government) and key subject of the Profumo affair, John Profumo.[1][2][3]

Captain Baron
Albert Profumo
KG FRAM(Hon) OCI
4th Baron Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia
Alberto Pier Antonio Profumo
Albert Profumo in 1929
Born
Alberto Pier Antonio Profumo

20 April 1879
Lambeth, London, UK
DiedMarch 27, 1940(1940-03-27) (aged 60)
Avon Dassett, Warwickshire, UK
Resting place
Golders Green Crematorium
51°34′38″N 000°11′37″W / 51.57722°N 0.19361°W / 51.57722; -0.19361 (Golders Green Crematorium)
Alma materMagdalen College, Oxford
OccupationsBarrister, philanthropist
Organization(s)Middle Temple
Inner Temple
TitleBaron
Political party
Conservative
Board member of
Italian Hospital, London,
Royal Academy of Music
SpouseMartha Thom Kennedy Walker (m. 1906)
Children5, including John Profumo, 5th Baron Profumo
Parents
RelativesAntonio Profumo, 1st Baron Profumo
FamilyProfumo

Early life and education

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Profumo was born in the London suburb of Lambeth in 1879 to Italian-born father Joseph Profumo and his wife Annie Lewis Mills.[4][5] Profumo was educated at the City of London School from 1893 to 1895, before continuing his education overseas.[3][6]

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Between 1899 and 1901, Profumo undertook his legal education exams in a range of subjects including Roman Law, Constitutional and Legal History, supervised by the Council of Legal Education.[7][8] Following the completion of his legal education in 1901, Profumo was called to the Bar as a practicing Barrister by the Inner Temple.[3][9] In April 1919, Profumo was appointed by George V as a Kings Counsel (also known as "taking silk"), an honour giving him certain rights and privileges in the courts.[3][10]

During the Great War, Profumo served in the 1st Battalion of the County of London Volunteer Regiment with the rank of Captain.[3][11]

Politics

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In the 1906 UK Election, Profumo unsuccessfully contested the High Peak constituency for the Conservative party receiving 46% of the vote, narrowly missing out to incumbent Liberal Member of Parliament, Oswald Partington. In 1909, when Partington was appointed as a Junior Lord of the Treasury, Parliamentary rules required that he seek re-election; therefore the High Peak by-election was held on 22 July 1909, with Profumo receiving just over 48% of the vote, again narrowly losing to the Partington.[12][13]

Memberships and philanthropy

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Profumo was involved in many causes, groups and organisations throughout his life, making considerable donations to these causes. In 1919, Profumo donated £5,000 each to Gray's Inn and the Inner Temple, two of the four Inns of Court in England, for purposes of legal education.In 1924, on the establishment of the University of Birmingham's Faculty of Law, Profumo donated funds to establish the Law Library, and in 1926, he provided funding for the Council of Legal Education to provide voice production and elocution lessons for students who had passed their legal examinations.[3]

Profumo served as a member of the Italian Hospital's Committee of Management and Financial Committee, making a number of donations during his tenure. Profumo received his Order of the Crown of Italy for his services to the hospital. On his death, his place on the Committee of Management was taken by his son, John Profumo.[14][15]

Profumo was also considered a generous benefactor and patron to the "Art of Music". He was appointed a Director of the Royal Academy of Music in 1937, and also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (FRAM(Hon)). Shortly before his death, Profumo established the Baron Albert Profumo Fund, as a permanent memorial providing scholarships to Academy students.[9][16]

Profumo was also a member of the Freemason United Grand Lodge of England.[17][18] and President, Horton General Hospital.

Personal life and family

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Profumo's family originated from Genoa in the Kingdom of Italy. His Great-grandfather, Antonio Profumo was the first Mayor of Genoa, a Senator in the Sardinian Subalpine Senate, and later made the 1st Baron Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia, a title Albert would inherit from his father.[2][1]

His father, Joseph Profumo (born Giuseppe Profumo, 1849–1911), emigrated from Italy to England, where he was managing director of the Provident Association of London, a London-based life insurance and pensions company.[5][19]

Profumo died in March 1940 in his home at Avon Dassett in Warwickshire at the age of 60, and his memorial and cremation took place on 30 March 1940, with his ashes interred at a memorial in the Golders Green Cemetery.[3]

Profumo and his wife, Martha, had five children:

His son, John Profumo, was a notable Conservative politician and key figure in the Profumo affair, and his grandson, David Profumo, is a prominent author and current holder of the Profumo Barony title.[2]

Barony and honours

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Barony

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Arms of the Barony Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia

In 1843, a Barony was granted to the Profumo family; and in 1911, on the death of his father, Profumo inherited the Profumo Barony, with the style, 4th Baron Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia.[1][20] Upon his death in 1852, his son Pietro Profumo became the 2nd Baron Profumo.[20]

  • 4th Baron Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia (4° Barone Profumo del Regno di Sardegna) (1911)

National honours

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In 1937, for his services to the Italian Hospital in London, Profumo was appointed by the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III, as a Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 Irving, Clive; Hall, Ron; Wallington, Jeremy (1 January 1964). SCANDAL '63 The Profumo Sensation Complete. London: Mayflower-Dell. p. 14. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Profumo, David (2006). Bringing the house down: a family memoir. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-6608-0. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Obituary - Baron Profumo KC". The Solicitors' Journal. 84 (14): 234. 6 April 1940. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  4. ↑ "FreeBMD Entry Info". www.freebmd.org.uk.
  5. 1 2 The Nobilities of Europe - Joseph Profumo. London: Melville. 1909. p. 21. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  6. ↑ Honey, John; de Symons, Raymond (1977). Tom Brown's universe: the development of the English public school in the nineteenth century. New York: Quadrangle. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-8129-0689-9. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "APA Profumo - Council of Legal Education Examination Records, 1861-1949". Ancestry. Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "APA Profumo - Council of Legal Education Examination Records 1900". Ancestry. Council of Legal Education Examination Records. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  9. 1 2 "In Memoriam - Baron Albert Profumo". Royal Academy of Music Journal (117): 42. 1 July 1940. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "Appointment of Kings Counsel". The London Gazette (31271): 4412–4413. 4 April 1919. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  11. ↑ "Territorial Force - Volunteer Force". The London Gazette (30333): 10564–10565. 12 October 1917. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "1906 General Election - High Peak". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Irving, Clive (1963). Anatomy of a Scandal. New York: M S Mill and Co. p. 15. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  14. ↑ Italian Hospital London - Annual report: 1940. London: Italian Hospital. 1940. pp. 11–12. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  15. 1 2 Orders, Decorations: Italian (Order of the Crown of Italy) Index to the Correspondence of The Foreign Office for the Year 1937: Part 3. Liechtenstein: Kraus-Thomson Organisation. 1937. p. 323. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "Academy and College Notes - Royal Academy of Music". The Musical Times and Singing-class Circular. 81. [London : Novello] ; [New York] : [Gray]: 184. 1940. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  17. ↑ Albert Profumo - Freemasonry Membership Registers; Description: Membership Registers: London J 2545-2738 to London K 2739-2946. London: Library and Museum of Freemasonry. 1908. p. 6. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  18. ↑ Albert Profumo - Freemasonry Membership Registers; Description: Membership Registers: London I 2206-2535 to London J 2545-2738. London: Library and Museum of Freemasonry. 1910. p. 36. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Kelly's handbook of distinguished people. London: Kelly's. 1923. p. 1415. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Heraldic Preview Profumo". Heraldry Institute. 28 April 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
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