The Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare | |
|---|---|
 Archer in 2012 | |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| In office 27 July 1992 – 4 July 2024 Life peerage | |
| Member of Parliament for Louth (Lincolnshire) | |
| In office 4 December 1969 – 20 September 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Cyril Osborne |
| Succeeded by | Michael Brotherton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jeffrey Howard Archer 15 April 1940 (age 84) London, England |
| Political party | Non-affiliated (since 2001) |
| Other political affiliations | Conservative (prior to 2001) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | London, England |
| Occupation | Politician, author |
| Website | www |
| Writing career | |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer, playwright |
| Period | 1976–present |
| Genre | Thriller, drama |
Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940)[1] is an English novelist and former politician.[2] He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Louth (Lincolnshire) from 1969 to 1974, but did not seek re-election after a financial scandal that left him almost bankrupt.[3]
Archer revived his fortunes as a novelist. His novel Kane and Abel (1979) remains one of the best-selling books in the world, with an estimated 34 million copies sold worldwide.[4][5] Overall his books have sold more than 320 million copies worldwide.[6]
Archer was the deputy chairman of the Conservative Party from 1985 to 1986; he resigned after a newspaper accused him of paying money to a prostitute. In 1987 he won a civil case and was awarded large damages because of this claim.[7] He was made a life peer in 1992 and subsequently became the first Conservative candidate to be selected as a candidate for mayor of London. He ended his candidacy in 1999 after it emerged that he had lied in the case in 1987. In 2001 he was sentenced to four years of imprisonment for perjury and perverting the course of justice, ending his active political career. He was released early in 2003.[6]
- ^ Dictionary of International Biography. 34th Edition. Rains, Sara, ed. Cambridge: Melrose Press, 2008.
- ^ Sala, Lana (2022). "Scandal: Jeffrey Archer and the call-girl" (Documentary). Zinc Television London. London: Channel 5.
- ^ Odone, Christine (21 March 2013). "Jeffrey Archer: Mary would run the NHS beautifully". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ Rufford, Nick. "Jeffrey Archer on his prison years and his latest crime caper". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ Flood, Alison (15 June 2009). "Jeffrey Archer rewrites Kane and Abel 'for a new generation'". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ a b Horowitz, Anthony (7 May 2011). "Jeffrey Archer interview: the saga continues". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ Davies, Caroline (20 July 2001). "He lied his way to the top". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2015.