John Frederick Wolfenden, Baron Wolfenden,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(26 June 1906,

Swindon, Wiltshire Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

– 18 January 1985, Guildford, Surrey) was a British educationalist probably best remembered for chairing the Wolfenden Committee whose

report A report is a document that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose. Although summaries of reports may be delivered orally, complete reports are almost always in the form of written documents. Usage In ...

, recommending the decriminalisation of homosexuality, was published in 1957. He was headmaster of

Uppingham Uppingham is a market town in Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, south of the county town, Oakham. It had a population of 4,745 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 4,853 in 2019. It is known for its ...

and Shrewsbury private schools.

Early life

He was the son of George Wolfenden and Emily Hannah Gaukroger, both born in

Halifax, Yorkshire Halifax () is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It is the commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough, and the headquarters of Calderdale Council. In the 15th cen ...

. George Wolfenden became an official of the West Riding Education Authority based in

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

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, where John attended Queen Elizabeth Grammar School. He won a scholarship to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Professional life

Having studied in Oxford, Wolfenden became a don at Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1929. John Wolfenden was the headmaster of

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils 13-18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oakham School. The headma ...

(1934–1944) and

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into ...

(1944–1950) and chairman of various government committees which mostly focused on education and problems with youth. In 1950 he became

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of the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

and found time to write two books, ''Family Affair'' and ''The Steele Age'', both part of the series of 'Take Home Books'. From 1954 to 1957 he was Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution, known in shorthand as the Wolfenden Committee after himself, whose

was published in 1957. Wolfenden had been appointed to head the committee by the then Home Secretary, Sir David Maxwell Fyfe to consider whether the existing laws on these should be changed - although the latter, as Lord Kilmuir, would come to oppose liberalisation of gay rights in the House of Lords. As

Geraldine Bedell Geraldine Bedell is a British novelist and writer for ''The Observer''. She drew wide public attention when she claimed she had been disinvited from a planned appearance at the first International Festival of Literature in Dubai, because her no ...

noted, this was ironic and she also commented: "Perhaps he axwell-Fyfethought, by handing over to a committee, to shelve the issue. Perhaps he assumed Wolfenden would find against, in which case, he chose a curious chairman, because Wolfenden had a gay son, Jeremy."Geraldine Bedell
"Coming out of the dark ages"
''The Observer'', London, 24 June 2007. In 1957, Wolfenden chaired an independent committee initiated by the

Central Council of Physical Recreation Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

which investigated the role of various statutory and voluntary groups in sport in the United Kingdom. The committee published its report in 1960, and fifty years later it was still an influential work in its field. In 1962, the Privy Council appointed Wolfenden as Chairman of the Council for the Training of Health Workers and the Council for the Training in Social Work, two bodies established by the Health Visiting and Social Work (Training) Act 1962. Wolfenden was director of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

from 1969 to 1973, became President of Chelsea College in 1972, Chairman of the Chelsea Building Society and Metropolitan Association of Building Societies in 1978.

Personal life

Wolfenden married in 1932 Eileen, daughter of A.J. Spilsbury, with whom he had two sons and two daughters. His eldest son was Jeremy Wolfenden, a foreign correspondent for ''

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'' and a British spy.

Thoughts and ideas

In his essay ''The Gap—The Bridge'', Wolfenden discusses the problems with institutional dichotomy.

Titles

Wolfenden was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in 1942, and was knighted in 1956. He was created a life peer on 12 July 1974 with the title Baron Wolfenden, ''of Westcott in the County of Surrey''.

References

External links

*
Stamford Hill Library PlaqueNational Portrait Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfenden, John, Baron Wolfenden 1906 births 1985 deaths Academics of the University of Reading Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Directors of the British Museum Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English non-fiction writers Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford Headmasters of Shrewsbury School Headmasters of Uppingham School Knights Bachelor Life peers Life peers created by Elizabeth II People educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield Vice-Chancellors of the University of Reading English male non-fiction writers 20th-century English male writers Presidents of the Classical Association