Peter Gordon Henderson, Baron Henderson of Brompton (16 September 1922 – 13 January 2000) was a British public servant who served as Clerk of the Parliaments from 1974 to 1983. He was born into a Scottish family, the son of James Alexander Leo Henderson and Maud Sophia Grace Hardy. Henderson was educated at Dragon School and

Stowe School , motto_translation = I stand firm and I stand first , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent school, day & boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster ...

and

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

. He served with the Scots Guards during the Second World until he was seriously wounded in 1944 during the

Battle of Anzio The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...

, sustaining injuries from which he never fully recovered, despite undergoing multiple operations over the years. His brother John Patrick Leo Henderson was killed in action in Italy in 1944. Having been appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1975, he was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

as Baron Henderson of Brompton, of Brompton in the

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an Inner London borough with royal status. It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the ...

and of Brough in the County of Cumbria on 1 February 1984, a nod to the holiday cottage in

Brough, Cumbria Brough (), sometimes known as Brough under Stainmore, is a village and civil parish in the Eden, Cumbria, Eden district of Cumbria, England, on the western fringe of the Pennines near Stainmore. The village is on the A66 road, A66 trans-Pennine ...

he owned for more than four decades. Henderson was a crusader for civil rights in the House of Lords. He fought for legal abortion and defended embryology research and in vitro fertilisation: "His battle for gay rights – as against article 28 – was part of his crusade against those underprivileged by discrimination, including young criminals, schizophrenics and homeless mothers with children." His son is the Appeal Court judge Sir Launcelot Henderson. He died in London on 13 January 2000.England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916–2007

References

1922 births 2000 deaths Crossbench life peers Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath People educated at The Dragon School People educated at Stowe School Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Clerks of the Parliaments Life peers created by Elizabeth II {{Life-peer-stub