Paddy Ashdown

British politician and diplomat who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999. He received international recognition for his role in Bosnia–Herzegovina as its High Representative 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 for Yeovil in 1983, before retiring in 2001.

Ashdown received national recognition for his services by appointment as 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.

A polyglot, Ashdown had an interpretership qualification in Mandarin and was fluent in several other languages.

Ashdown married Jane Courtenay in 1962. The couple had a son and daughter. Ashdown was diagnosed with bladder cancer in October 2018. He died on 22 December 2018, aged 77.