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 The Clerk of the Parliaments is the chief clerk of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The position has existed since at least 1315, and duties include preparing the minutes of Lords proceedings, advising on proper parli ...

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 The Dragon School is a private school across two sites in Oxford, England. The Dragon Pre-Prep (children aged 4–7) and Prep School (children aged 8–13) are both co-educational schools. The Dragon Prep School was founded in 1877 as the Oxfo ...

and

Stowe School The Stowe School is a public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13–18 in the countryside of Stowe, England. It was opened on 11 May, 1923 at Stowe House, a Grade I Heritage Estate belonging to the British Crown. ...

and

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

. He served with the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

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 (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II that commenced January 22, 1944. The battle began with the Allies of World War II, Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle, an ...

, 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 The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

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. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baron Henderson of Brompton, of Brompton in the

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (often known by its initialism as RBKC) is an Inner London, Inner London borough with Royal borough, royal status. It is the List of English districts by area, smallest borough in London and the secon ...

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 historic county of Westmorland and the ceremonial county of Cumbria, England, within the Westmorland and Furness unitary authority area, on the western ...

he owned for more than four decades. Henderson was a crusader for civil rights in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. He fought for legal

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

and defended embryology research and

in vitro fertilisation In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an ovum, egg is combined with spermatozoon, sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating the Ovulation cycle, ovulatory process, then removing ...

: "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