Editing Jeffrey Archer (section)

==Early life and education==
Jeffrey Howard Archer was born in the [[City of London Maternity Hospital]] in [[Holloway, London|Holloway]], London on 15 April 1940.<ref name="Kelso">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/20/conservatives.archer11|title=Mendacious, ambitious, generous and naive|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|last1=Kelso|first1=Paul|date=20 July 2001|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312130623/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/20/conservatives.archer11|archive-date=12 March 2016}}</ref> He was two weeks old when his family moved to [[Somerset]], eventually settling in the seaside town of [[Weston-super-Mare]],<ref name="Scott">{{cite news|last1=Scott|first1=Danny|title=Time and place: Jeffrey Archer|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/homes_and_gardens/time_place/article1366446.ece|access-date=18 September 2016|work=The Sunday Times|date=26 January 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918235700/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/homes_and_gardens/time_place/article1366446.ece|archive-date=18 September 2016}}</ref> where Archer spent most of his early life.<ref name=Jack>{{cite news|last1=Jack|first1=Ian|title=Onwards, upwards, sometimes downwards|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/onwards-upwards-sometimes-downwards-1412898.html|access-date=4 November 2015|work=The Independent|date=23 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925165313/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/onwards-upwards-sometimes-downwards-1412898.html|archive-date=25 September 2015}}</ref>

His father, William (died 1956),<ref name=Farndale>{{cite news|last1=Farndale|first1=Nigel|title=Jeffrey Archer: The next chapter|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/donotmigrate/3671588/Jeffrey-Archer-The-next-chapter.html|access-date=7 November 2015|work=The Telegraph|date=2 March 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924180001/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/donotmigrate/3671588/Jeffrey-Archer-The-next-chapter.html|archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> was 64 years old when Jeffrey Archer was born. Early in his career, Archer gave conflicting accounts to the press of his father's supposed, but non-existent, military career.<ref name=Jack/> William Archer was, in fact, a bigamist, fraudster, and conman, who impersonated another William Archer, a deceased war medal holder. He was at different times employed as a chewing gum salesman in New York and a mortgage broker in London. In the latter capacity, he was charged at the [[Old Bailey]] with a series of fraud offences. On being released on bail, he absconded to the US under the name William Grimwood.

In the US, William Archer fathered a child, Rosemary Turner (21 June 1917 – 11 October 1986), Jeffrey's half-sister. In 1940 Rosemary married lawyer [[Brien McMahon]] who went on to become the Democratic senator for [[Connecticut]] (1945–1952) and a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1952. After Brien McMahon's death that year, Rosemary married, in 1953, the Belgian ambassador to Washington, Baron Silvercruys. The First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower, was the guest-of-honour at their wedding.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/19/archer.politics2 |title=The rise and fall of Jeffrey Archer |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=19 July 2001 |access-date=3 November 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208215635/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/19/archer.politics2 |archive-date=8 December 2015}}</ref><ref>Scandal! Private Stories of Public Shame, Colin Wilson and Damon Wilson, 2003, pg 30</ref><ref>They F*** You Up, Oliver James, 2010, pg 254</ref>

As a boy Archer dreamed of being captain of the [[Bristol Rovers]] Football Club. He is still a fan of the club.<ref>[http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Lord-Archer-s-tales-charm-audience/story-13395504-detail/story.html "Lord Archer's tales charm audience"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130505153002/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Lord-Archer-s-tales-charm-audience/story-13395504-detail/story.html |date=5 May 2013 }}, ''Bristol Post'', 24 September 2011</ref>

===Wellington School===
In 1951, Archer won a scholarship to [[Wellington School, Somerset|Wellington School]] in Somerset (not [[Wellington College, Berkshire|Wellington College]] in Berkshire, as he was later inclined to claim) after passing the 11-plus.<ref name=Farndale/> At this time his mother, Lola, was employed as a journalist on Weston's local newspaper, the ''[[Weston Mercury]]''.<ref name=Jeffrey>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/19/archer.politics2|last=Jeffrey|first=Simon|title=Rise and Fall of Jeffrey Archer|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=19 July 2001|location=London|access-date=3 November 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208215635/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/19/archer.politics2|archive-date=8 December 2015}}</ref> She wrote a weekly column entitled "Over the Teacups", and frequently wrote about Jeffrey, calling him 'Tuppence'.<ref name="Crick">{{cite news|last1=Crick|first1=Michael|title=Just Jeffrey: The child is father to the man.|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/just-jeffrey-the-child-is-father-to-the-man-todays-lord-archer-is-easily-recognisable-in-the-1416039.html|access-date=18 September 2016|work=The Independent|date=24 July 1994|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919000051/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/just-jeffrey-the-child-is-father-to-the-man-todays-lord-archer-is-easily-recognisable-in-the-1416039.html|archive-date=19 September 2016}}</ref> Although Archer enjoyed the local fame this brought him, it caused him to be the victim of bullying while at Wellington School.<ref name=Davies/>

Archer left school with [[O-levels]] in English literature, art, and history. He then spent a few years in a variety of jobs, including training with the army and a short period with the [[Metropolitan Police]].<ref name=Davies/> He later worked as a [[physical education]] teacher, first at Vicar's Hill, a [[Preparatory school (United Kingdom)|preparatory school]] in Hampshire, and later at [[Dover College]] in Kent.<ref name=Jack/>

===Oxford===
In 1963 Archer was offered a place at the [[University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education|University of Oxford Delegacy of Extra-Mural Studies]] to study for a [[Diploma of Education]]. The course was based in the department, and Archer became a member of [[Brasenose College]]. There have been claims that Archer provided false evidence of his academic qualifications to Brasenose, the apparent citing of an American institution which was actually a bodybuilding club, for instance, in gaining admission to the course.<ref name=Davies/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://sgp1.paddington.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/feature_stories/article_890.asp?s=1 |title=Author of his own Demise |newspaper=[[ninemsn]] |author=Jim Waley |date=22 July 2001 |access-date=20 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706110724/http://sgp1.paddington.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/feature_stories/article_890.asp?s=1 |archive-date= 6 July 2011 }}</ref> It has also been alleged Archer provided false statements about three non-existent [[A-Level]] passes and a U.S. [[university degree]].<ref name=Jeffrey/> Although the diploma course only lasted a year, Archer spent a total of three years at Oxford.<ref name=Davies/> At Oxford, Archer was successful in athletics, competing in sprinting and hurdling, and became president of the Oxford University Athletic Club in 1965/6. His opposite number at [[Cambridge University]], [[Wendell Mottley]] became a lifelong friend.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/76930 | title=Olympedia – Wendell Mottley | access-date=17 April 2024 | archive-date=29 April 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429114023/https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/76930 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Davies/> Television coverage survives of him making [[false start]]s in a 1964 sprint race, but he was not disqualified. He gained a [[Blue (university sport)|blue]] in athletics and went on to run for England, and once competed for Great Britain.<ref name=Jeffrey/> His time of 10.6 seconds for 100 metres is the joint second fastest time by an Oxford University student.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ouac.org/all-time-list#tab-1882246 | title=All Time List | access-date=25 March 2024 | archive-date=25 March 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240325175702/https://www.ouac.org/all-time-list#tab-1882246 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Archer raised money for the charity [[Oxfam]], obtaining the support of [[The Beatles]] in a fundraising drive. The band accepted his invitation to visit the Principal's lodge at Brasenose College, where they were photographed with Archer and dons of the college,<ref name=Brasenose>{{cite web|title=Beatles at Brasenose|url=https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/about-brasenose/news/1222-beatles-at-brasenose|website=www.bnc.ox.ac.uk|publisher=Brasenose College|access-date=22 December 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223114123/https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/about-brasenose/news/1222-beatles-at-brasenose|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref> although they did not play there. The critic [[Sheridan Morley]], then a student at [[Merton College, Oxford|Merton]], was present and recalled the occasion:

{{block quote|At the interval I went to the toilet, and there beside me was [[Ringo Starr]]. He asked if I knew this Jeffrey Archer bloke. I said everyone in Oxford was trying to work out who he was. Ringo said: "He strikes me as a nice enough fella, but he's the kind of bloke who would bottle your piss and sell it."<ref name="Kelso"/>}}