Albert Profumo

Don Albert Peter Anthony Profumo, 4th Baron Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia (born Alberto Pier Antonio Profumo; 20 April 1879 – 27 March 1940) was an English barrister and philanthropist. He was the father of John Profumo, former British minister and the key subject of the Profumo affair.

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

Legal education and career 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. Following the completion of his legal education in 1901, Profumo was called to the Bar as a practicing Barrister by the Inner Temple. 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.

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

Politics 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.

Memberships and philanthropy 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.

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.

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

Personal life and family Profumo's family originated from Genoa in the Kingdom of Sardinia (present-day Italy). His great-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.

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. Upon his death in 1852, his son Pietro Profumo became the 2nd Baron Profumo.

National honours 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.