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Campaigning Lord Longford dies

LONDON, England -- Lord Longford -- a politician, social reformer and champion of society's outcasts-- has died aged 95.

Best known for his crusade to free infamous Moors murdered Myra Hindley, Lord Longford died at London Chelsea and Westminster hospital. The cause of death has not been released.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "He was a great man of passionate integrity and humanity and a great reformer committed to modernising the law while also caring deeply for individuals."

The 7th Earl of Longford, Francis Aungier Pakenham, served as leader of the house of Lords from 1964 to 1968 and held a number of ministerial posts.

But it was his championing of unpopular causes that brought him most often into the public spotlight.

He was most noted for his prison reform campaign, and for arguing that Hindley, one of Britain's most notorious modern criminals, should be paroled.

Longford was also an outspoken critic of the British press and once said it was "trembling on the brink of obscenity." He also campaigned vociferously against pornography.

Former Cabinet minister Lord Hailsham told The Associated Press news agency: "His concern for the outcasts of society is perfectly genuine.

"Even when one is most exasperated at the impracticality of some of his demands or the apparent irresponsibility of some of his behaviour, one is glad from the bottom of one's heart that there exists in the world a man so single-hearted that he is prepared to espouse such hopeless causes."

During his political career he opposed the appeasement of Hitler before World War II, and worked on social reforms that led to the creation of Britain's welfare state.

Longford was born December 5, 1905, the second son of the 5th Earl of Longford and great-great grandson of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. He succeeded to the earldom in 1961, when his elder brother died.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, noted biographer Elizabeth Longford, four sons and three daughters, including writers Lady Antonia Fraser and Thomas Pakenham.

A funeral was scheduled for Aug. 10 at London's Westminster Cathedral.







RELATED SITES:
• Howard League for Penal Reform
• Crime Library: The Moors Murders

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