Harold Wilson

James Harold Wilson, later Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, born March 11, 1916, in Huddersfield, and died May 24, 1995, served two separate periods as Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: October 1964 to June 1970, and March 1974 to April 1976. His governments presided over a wave of social liberalization, including the decriminalization of male homosexuality and the abolition of capital punishment for murder in the later 1960s. In 1975 he called Britain's first-ever nationwide referendum, on continued membership of the European Economic Community, which voters backed by a wide margin. He resigned unexpectedly in April 1976, at the height of his power, citing a wish to retire while still in good health.