Jeffrey Archer

British politician and tycoon; in 1969 he became the youngest member of the House of Commons, where he served until 1974. As an author, he has consistently appeared at the top of the bestseller lists with such blockbuster stories as Not a Penny More, Not A Penny Less (1975), Kane And Abel (1979) and First Among Equals (1984). Worldwide sales of his books have surpassed 320 million copies.

With boyish good looks, endless energy and wise-cracking charm, Archer joined the House of Commons at 29 but was forced to give up his seat five years later after he invested in a company that proved to be fraudulent. He turned to writing as a means of avoiding bankruptcy.

As a gesture toward reinstatement in favor, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher appointed him Deputy Tory Party Chair on 3 December 1985, a position he had to resign in October 1986 after two London papers published stories about his alleged involvement with a London prostitute to whom he was accused of giving money. He sued the Star newspaper for libel in naming him party in a sexual liaison and was awarded $825,000 damages plus legal costs of $1.2 million in July 1987. He gave the money away, dividing it among more than 70 charities.

The son and only child of a career soldier and a journalist, Archer was so precocious as a child that "when he was three he wanted to be four and when he was four he wanted to be prime minister." After his father's death in 1955, he was granted a scholarship to Wellington School, where he excelled as a sprinter. Later at Oxford, he was captain of the track and field team, breaking records in the 100-year dash. After graduating Oxford in 1964, he stayed on for another post-grad years, during which he developed a fine skill as a fund-raiser.

In 1966 he entered public relations, launching Arrow Enterprises. His first political sortie was the following year, winning a council seat. He won his House of Commons seat in a resounding victory on 6 December 1969.