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Martin Furnival Jones

1912 – 1997

Director General of MI5

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About Martin Furnival Jones

Lived 1912 – 1997 (aged 84).

Sir Edward Martin Furnival Jones CBE (7 May 1912 – 1 March 1997) was Director General of MI5, the United Kingdom's internal security service, from 1965 until 1972.

Career Born in High Barnet and educated at Highgate School, Furnival Jones was a Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge graduate, having read modern and medieval languages, as well as law.

He was admitted as a solicitor in England in 1937, joining the leading City of London law firm Slaughter and May. When the Second World War broke out, Furnival Jones joined the British Army. After training, he was commissioned into the Intelligence Corps on 26 October 1940 as a second lieutenant. He transferred to the MI5 in 1941. and awarded the Bronze Star Medal by the United States "in recognition of distinguished services in the cause of the Allies".

He was Director-General of MI5 from 1965 to 1972.

Personal life Jones resided in the Hampstead Garden Suburb. He was a tennis player and bird watcher and loved to perform in amateur theatre in both the local groups, including the Play and Pageant Union and Speedwell Players. It was during a production of I Remember Mama that he first met his wife, Margaret.

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Important facts

Birth century
Education
Highgate School
Awards
Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Knight Bachelor
Also known as
Sir Edward Martin Furnival Jones, Martin Jones

People in Martin Furnival Jones's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Martin Furnival Jones's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Martin Furnival Jones?

Director General of MI5

When was Martin Furnival Jones born?

Martin Furnival Jones was born on 7 May 1912 in Barnet.

When did Martin Furnival Jones die?

Martin Furnival Jones died on 1 March 1997 in Wothorpe.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Martin Furnival Jones

· Wikidata: Q6775485

· DBpedia: Martin Furnival Jones

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Martin Furnival Jones. https://biography.guide/martin-furnival-jones/

MLA: "Martin Furnival Jones." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/martin-furnival-jones/.

Chicago: "Martin Furnival Jones." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/martin-furnival-jones/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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