Niall MacDermot

Niall MacDermot CBE OBE QC (10 September 1916 – 22 February 1996) was a British Labour politician.

Niall MacDermot CBE OBE QC
MacDermot in 1989
Secretary-General of the International Commission of Jurists
In office 1970–1990
Preceded by	Seán MacBride
Succeeded by	Adama Dieng
Minister of State for Housing and Local Government
In office 29 August 1967 – 28 September 1968
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Frederick Willey
Succeeded by	Denis Howell
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
In office 21 October 1964 – 29 August 1967
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Alan Green
Succeeded by	Harold Lever
Member of Parliament for Derby North
In office 17 April 1962 – 29 May 1970
Preceded by	Clifford Wilcock
Succeeded by	Phillip Whitehead
Member of Parliament for Lewisham North
In office 14 February 1957 – 18 September 1959
Preceded by	Austin Hudson
Succeeded by	Christopher Chataway
Personal details
Born	(1916-09-10)10 September 1916 Dublin, Ireland
Died	22 February 1996(1996-02-22) (aged 79) Geneva, Switzerland
Political party	Labour (from 1956)
Spouses	Ludmila Benvenuto ​ (m. 1966)​ Violet Maxwell ​ ​ (m. 1940, dissolved)​
Children	1
Alma mater	Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

MacDermot was educated at Rugby School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and served in the Intelligence Corps during the Second World War.^[1] He was first elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for Lewisham North, at a by-election in 1957 following the death of Conservative MP Sir Austin Hudson.

MacDermot lost his seat two years later at the 1959 general election, and unsuccessfully contested the equivalent seat at the 1961 London County Council election. He returned to Parliament as MP for Derby North at a by-election in 1962.

He was Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1964 to 1967, and retired from the Commons at the 1970 general election.

From 1970 to 1990, he was Secretary-General of the International Commission of Jurists, succeeding Seán MacBride.^[2]

He was the grandson of Hugh Hyacinth O'Rorke MacDermot, who served as Solicitor General for Ireland in 1885 and 1886, and as Attorney General for Ireland in 1892. He was also the nephew of Frank MacDermot a Fine Gael politician.