Paddy Ashdown

The Right Honourable
The Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon
GCMG CH KBE PC
The Right Honourable The Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon GCMG CH KBE PC
	Formal portrait, 2005
Leader of the Liberal Democrats
	In office; 16 July 1988 – 9 August 1999
President	Ian Wrigglesworth; Charles Kennedy; Robert Maclennan; The Baroness Maddock;
Deputy	Russell Johnston; Alan Beith;
Preceded by	David Steel (Liberal); Robert Maclennan (SDP);
Succeeded by	Charles Kennedy
High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
	In office; 27 May 2002 – 31 January 2006
Preceded by	Wolfgang Petritsch
Succeeded by	Christian Schwarz-Schilling
European Union Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina
	In office; 3 June 2002 – 31 January 2006
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Christian Schwarz-Schilling
Preceded by
Parliamentary offices
Member of the House of Lords
	Lord Temporal
	Life peerage; 10 July 2001 – 22 December 2018
Member of Parliament; for Yeovil
	In office; 9 June 1983 – 14 May 2001
Preceded by	John Peyton
Succeeded by	David Laws
Personal details
Born	Jeremy John Durham Ashdown; 27 February 1941; New Delhi, British India
Died	22 December 2018 (aged 77); Bristol, England
Resting place	Church of St Mary the Virgin, Norton-sub-Hamdon
Political party	Liberal Democrats
Other political; affiliations	Labour (before 1975); Liberal (1975–1988);
Spouse	Jane Courtenay (m. 1962)
Children	2
Alma mater	Bedford School
Occupation	Diplomat; politician;
Military service
Branch/service	Royal Marines
Years of service	1959–1972
Rank	Captain
Unit	Special Boat Service
Battles/wars	Borneo confrontation; Operation Banner;

Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, CH, KBE, PC (27 February 1941 – 22 December 2018), better known as Paddy Ashdown, was a British politician and diplomat who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999. Internationally, he is recognised for his role as High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2002 to 2006, following his vigorous lobbying for military action against Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

After serving as a Royal Marine and Special Boat Service officer and as an intelligence officer in the UK security services, Ashdown was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Yeovil in 1983 before retiring in 2001.

Ashdown was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in the 2006 New Year Honours and Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the 2015 New Year Honours.^[1] In 2017, Ashdown was appointed an Officer of the Legion of Honour by the French government.^[2]

Ashdown had an interpretership qualification in Mandarin and was fluent in several other languages, including Malay, German, French and Bosnian.^[3]

^ "No. 61092". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2014. p. N28.
^ "Experience for Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon". MPs and Lords. UK Parliament. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
^ "Paddy Ashdown: 'Learning six languages has changed my life'". The Guardian. 14 October 2014. I reply I have forgotten six … Malay … local language … among the Dayak people … two years learning Mandarin Chinese … [t]hen came German (briefly), French and Bosnian.

[1] "No. 61092". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2014. p. N28.

[2] "Experience for Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon". MPs and Lords. UK Parliament. Retrieved 7 March 2021.

[3] "Paddy Ashdown: 'Learning six languages has changed my life'". The Guardian. 14 October 2014. I reply I have forgotten six … Malay … local language … among the Dayak people … two years learning Mandarin Chinese … [t]hen came German (briefly), French and Bosnian.

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