Longford, Countess of (1906-2002), Elizabeth Pakenham, an English biographer and historian, won fame for her books about the British monarchy in the 1800’s and 1900’s. She was the wife of the Earl of Longford, Frank Pakenham. See Longford, Earl of.
Longford and her husband were active in the politics of the Labour Party. In the early 1930’s, she was a lecturer for the Workers’ Educational Association, an organization providing education for working adults. Longford later made three attempts to win election to the House of Commons as a Labour member of Parliament.
Longford was a widely published author. Under the name Elizabeth Pakenham, she wrote newspaper articles and books on family life, Roman Catholicism, and history. Her book on South African history, Jameson’s Raid, was published in 1959. Under the name Elizabeth Longford, she wrote several outstanding biographies, including one of Queen Victoria, entitled Victoria R.I. (1964). She wrote The Royal House of Windsor in 1974 and a biography of Queen Elizabeth II, Elizabeth R, in 1983. She also wrote biographies of Lord Byron; the Duke of Wellington; Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; and Sir Winston Churchill. Lady Longford was the editor of The Oxford Book of Royal Anecdotes (1989) and wrote Royal Throne: The Future of the Monarchy (1993). Her autobiography, The Pebbled Shore, was published in 1986.
Elizabeth Harman was born on Aug. 30, 1906, in London and educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. She married Francis Aungier Pakenham in 1931. He became the seventh Earl of Longford in 1961. Lady Longford died on Oct. 23, 2002.
