(1928-2009)

We are very sorry to announce that Professor Peter Townsend died from a heart attack on the evening of Sunday 7 June. Peter has been a major figure in the international social policy field since the 1960s. He first came to public attention when he showed that severe poverty had not been eradicated by Beveridge's welfare state reforms. He then went on to ensure that his research findings influenced policy, setting up the Child Poverty Action Group. Since that time he has been an inspiring campaigner for social justice, using rigorous research to persuade politicians of the need for action. His most recent work has used the Convention on the Rights of the Child to measure aspects of child poverty around the world. In recent years, he returned to the LSE and helped to establish the Centre for the Study of Human Rights. Peter was a generous and valued colleague who will be greatly missed.

This page is intended as a tribute to his memory for friends, colleagues and students to remember him. 

Messages

To my shame (and perhaps the shame of a country that doesn't appear to have done justice to the passing of one of its wisest prophets)I have only just learned of the death of Prof. Peter Townsend. Having been a student at the University of Essex, I owe Peter more than I can express. Undoubtedly one of this country's greatest post-war academics, I count myself fortunate indeed to have known him. He taught me so much, not least, the importance of theory, which transformed the way I thought about the world, and added immeasurably to my intellectual reach. I would sometimes give him a lift home, and will never forget the wisdom that characterised even the most casual of his conversations. I remember once, tired after a hard day's studying, I felt the need to pour myself a cup of tea from a flask I carried in my car. Apologising for making him wait before starting our journey home, he replied to the effect that he was pleased that his presence did not constrain me from doing what I would otherwise have done to look after myself! He once introduced me to his daughter - Lucy, then just three years old, when he brought her onto campus one day. I still retain a picture in my mind of this towering presence gently holding the hand of a little girl. An intellectual giant, who refused to be constrained by convention. A lovely man who demonstrated how intellect, creativity, energy, humour, resourcefulness, love and compassion, could be integrated and moulded into new and beautiful forms in the service of humanity. I will always love and revere his memory.
David Perry, MA Social Service Planning, 1980-1982

I have just learnt with great shock and sadness of the passing of my professor and supervisor at Bristol University when I was a Master's student in Comparative Development and International Policy Studies. The personal sadness is that I only learnt of this unfortunate news, a whole 18 months after Prof Townsend passed on. Just goes to prove that we should always try to keep up with the people we are close to or value. I owe my career change to Prof. Townsend after going through his courses in social policy and administration at Briatol. May his soul rest in peace
Dr. Jim Ocitti

In all my years of studying I never encountered any academic as approachable and friendly as Peter Townsend.
Patrick Holland, MSc Human Rights 2001-2002

He was a great lecturer always encouraging us to be more inquisitive about the roots of poverty, especially child poverty. Rest in peace.
Victor Hernandez, MSc Social Policy, 2005/6

I had the privilege of having Peter as my tutor while studying Social Administration at Bristol in the mid 80's. Peter leaves both a considerable academic and personal legacy. It was with great sadness that I heard of his passing. I remain enormously grateful for the inspirational teaching and personal kindness shown to me by Peter. The world is a better place for having had Peter and a poorer place now he has gone. However, his legacy will endure through his enormous body of work and through those he inspired to care, as he did.
Brian Horton

I believe that there is no need to personally meet Professor Peter Townsend.  His warmth, generosity, integrity, energy, inspiration, efficiency and the many more unique virtues - that nowadays are difficult to find - are extended to us all. What a voice for the voiceless! Great ambassador! However time has come to fully reciprocate all his love and concern for the voiceless. And which better way than carrying on his legacy? May you rest in peace! My sympathy to his dear family and friends.
Lul Seyoum

Peter's contribution to an area of the social sciences central to the School and part of the rationale for its existence is very much valued. He will be missed.
Carol Harlow

Thank you to Peter for his life's work and his family for supporting him. I will always remember Peter as a radical thinker for his time, whose energy and efficiency in expressing the evidence to show the plight of the poor could not be ignored by those who portray themselves as somehow better. He will always be remembered and his life's work will be continued by those he inspired.
Juliet Crowson

'When Great Trees Fall' by Maya Angelou

When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.

When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.

When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.

Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance,
fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance
of dark, cold
caves.

And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly.  Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed.  They existed.
We can be.  Be and be
better.  For they existed.

Rest in Peace Professor Townsend.
Sherine Ibrahim, MSc Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries, 2002-2003

Peter and I first met when we were both students at Cambridge (late 1940s and early '50s). We were both reading Moral Sciences, as Philosophy was called then at Cambridge. There were very few such students at the time, but Peter became a leading figure in the life of the University as the imaginative editor of the weekly magazine Varsity. My articles for him included an interview with the economist Joan Robinson. He has been a political and moral inspiration ever since, especially through his persistent work on poverty.
Brian Groombridge

I was privileged to have Peter as a teacher and mentor of Children's Rights and Poverty, such an inspiration, example, good person who made a difference in my life. I was touched by his lectures and views, and I will always be grateful for this. A great loss.
Susana Martinez, MSc Management of NGOs, 2004

I feel very lucky for having met Peter. I have no words to say how grateful I am to him: a dedicated tutor, but most of all, an incredibly generous and sensitive human being. For me he is an example of how life should be lived. I'll take his teachings with me for life!
Marianna Olinger, Msc Social Policy and Planning, 2002/2003

I first met Peter in the Senior Dining Room of the LSE several years ago and was struck by his passion, humour and generosity of spirit. Even though I was a relatively junior member of staff he took an interest in my work and was very encouraging in the years that followed. Although he's known mostly for his seminal work in Social Policy I had the pleasure of telling him that I thought his research on 'Deprivation at Work (Chapter 12, Poverty in the UK) was path-breaking, even if strangely neglected, and that I and colleagues were going to build on it in our own research on employment in Britain. We finished the book eventually but unfortunately Peter died before I could show it to him. Yes, he was one of those colleagues whose respect you wanted to earn.
Dr Patrick McGovern, Department of Sociology, LSE

Great loss. The amiable fellow will be greatly missed, I first came across his works about a decade ago and what struck me most was his commitment and passion! Besides, academic obligations, his fervor and ability to inspire was incontrovertible! May his soul rest in peace and I extend my condolences to his family.
Adekunle Tinuoye, Italy

My sincere condolences.
Bob Mather 

I was privileged to meet Peter on one of my scientific paths at the beginning of the 90s. Since I first met Peter at the ISA conference in Siena, I knew that he was an extraordinary academic. With the passing of time I discovered him by his works as the excellent, passionate researcher, and inspirational and enlightening academic, always a gentle, generous and encouraging colleague, briefly The Exceptional Human Being. We all who had a blessing to know YOU - Peter, we are plunged in deep sorrow. Since the day I learned about your passing deep sadness stays with me - you are much missed. My deepest sympathy to your family.
Ludmila Dziewiecka-Bokun, Professor of Social Policy, Wroclaw University, Poland

As a former student at the University of Essex in the 1970's and then active member of the Child Poverty Action Group, I echo the other comments on this site bearing testament to his leadership and foresight. Among other things, he helped me find my first research job and make a start in what was then an exceptionally difficult labour market for new graduates. So, farewell then, Peter. We won't forget you.
Steve Clark, CEO Adept Business Systems, Sydney

I knew Peter for over 30 years. When he went to be a Professor of social Policy at the University of Bristol he became 'my boss', as I was already a lecturer in the Department of Social Administration/School of Applied Social Studies. He was an inspirational and extremely supportive colleague and excellent researcher and our Department flourished under his leadership. We also developed from being the most well known department in the UK to having international reknown thanks largely to his excellent leadership. He also put us very much on the political map locally and nationally. He was extremely involved at all levels and a major force to be reckoned with in local Labour politics and at the University. Perhaps his one shortcoming was that he seemed not to be able to recognise the importance of the rapidly growing feminist movement in his midst, despite his extremely important work on children, poverty and the family. As a major scholar in the social sciences - acknowledged through his membership of the Academy of Social Sciences and political activist he will be sorely missed.
Professor Miriam David, Institute of Education, University of London

Professor Townsend was a great man. He was of great assistance to me and my colleagues when we were setting up an international funding initiative focused on human rights and social justice. His insights were a guiding force for me and I attribute much of our success to his input.
Mary Frances De Rose

I never had the opportunity to hear Professor Townsend speak, but while at college I read a lot of his work. His work was inspirational and enlightening. I came from a very poor background and often found the articles I read and the lecturers I listened to, condescending and out of touch. His work bridged a gap between theory and practice and showed a belief and respect for people's potential.
Emer McCarthy

It is with great sadness I hear of Peter's passing. I heard him speak on a number of occasions and found his approach most enlightening. He was always plesant and helpful. His body of work on social exclusion and social justice at both a lecturing and research level was outstanding. We have lost both an academic and champion who ably bridged the gap between theory and application in social policy.
Keith Noonan - Student in Cork

I had the great pleasure and privilege of working with Peter for a number of years, co-teaching on the LSE Human Rights Core course and the 'Child Rights and Child Poverty' course. Peter was always a courteous, gracious and supportive colleague - totally dedicated to his work and devoted to his students (as they often were to him). I'll miss working with him, as will so many of us
Jenny Kuper

Today I had a little talk with my professor about the index of deprivation which it might needed for measuring of poverty in my country. And I found such a sad news Professor Townsend passed away.... As a student I am regarding my deepest respect to him. Thank you and goodbye professor you will be remain as the greatest scholar forever in social policy field and protecting for child poverty in the world.
Hyunjoo Yi, student in Korea

I learned about Professor Townsend's death only few days ago and this news has really struck me deeply. Right now, while reading the memories of so many people, although very sad, I'm relieved by the fact that such an oustanding person has not passed unnoticed during his life. I took a course with Child Rights and Child Poverty with Prof. Townsend and with my great surprise he valued me enough to propose me a work as his research assistant for a joint consultancy he was conducting and whose results have unfortunately been published too late for him to see. I would have never imagined that such a well-known, cultivated, gentle person would have spent time with such an ordinary student like me and right now I cannot feel nothing but honoured for this privilege. I'm working in the field of child rights protection now and it is certainly a tribute to him that all my colleagues dedicated to child poverty know and appreciate him enormously. Goodbye Professor, you will be utterly missed!
Marialaura Ena, MSc Development Studies 2005-06

The passion with which Peter delivered his lectures on the core module of the MSc in Human Rights at LSE will always be one of my deepest abiding memories of my time at LSE. I learned in those brief sessions that it OK to care openly - that it was alright to bring your heart into an academic setting - in fact, more than that, it helped.
Tom Dannatt

While working in emergency in the conflict hit northern part of Pakistan for the survival, protection and development of children with Save the Children, I was shocked to read about the sad demise of my favourite teacher Professor Peter Townsend......I thought it was good not to check my email for a number of days as this bad news was waiting for me. I am honoured to call myself Peter's student and one who spend good time with him discussing various child rights related issues. I remember some of my friends telling not to go for child rights course in my MSc programme as I've more than 8 years of experience and there will be nothing new for me. But I am glad that I decided otherwise telling them, yes I read a lot about child rights but I was never taught by Peter Townsend and I want to do this course for him. Later on it was proved the my decision was right. Peter always appreciated my work and involved me in discussion and debates during our lectures and seminars. I'll always miss him and his pictures with the MSc Human Rights 2007-08 class will be an asset for me.
Arshad Mahmood MSc Human Rights 2007-08

I have in front of me the first letter I received from Peter, dated 25 January 1970. I had sent him a copy of my first book, Poverty in Britain and the Reform of Social Security then just published. His letter was characteristically generous and encouraging. This response meant a great deal to me, since - like so many other researchers in the field of social policy - I had been greatly inspired by his writing. Indeed, my own book would never have been written without The Poor and the Poorest by Peter and Brian Abel-Smith. I can vividly remember reading, as a Cambridge undergraduate, the press coverage when The Poor and the Poorest was published. I bought a copy as soon as I could, and it was one of the few books that I took to the US in 1966 when setting off for graduate work. In my view, The Poor and the Poorest is one of the classics of twentieth century social science. Peter invited me to give a seminar in 1970 at the University of Essex and it is there that we met for the first time - in an office in which teaching, research and administration were all mingled in piles of paper and in the queues of people keen to talk to him. Peter also invited me to join the small group (known I seem to remember as the "Mansfield group") engaged in devising the next stage of CPAG policy. There then followed the critique of the Labour Government, and accusations that this had caused Labour to lose the 1970 Election. Worse was to follow. The Conservative pledge to raise family allowances turned into the introduction of Family Income Supplement (FIS), and I remember working with Peter on a paper attacking income-testing (we little knew that FIS would prove to be the forerunner of family tax credits). On the plus side, this did help cement the support for the introduction of child benefit when Labour returned to power. By this time, I had joined the University of Essex. It was a great privilege to be one of Peter's colleagues. He encouraged me to start the course I gave on the economics of inequality, attended by quite a number of his students. He encouraged me in developing research on the boundaries of economics, including in health economics, where one of the key researchers was Joy Skegg, later Joy Townsend and mother of Lucy. He encouraged the establishment of the Colchester Poverty Action Group, where we (among those active were Adrian Sinfield, Alan Walker and Steve Winyard) set up a Saturday morning welfare advice stall. At a time when the University was trying to repress student demonstrations, Peter, together with Tony Brooker, Stan Cohen and Adrian, provided a locus of sanity. His qualities of wisdom and humanity were later recognised by his colleagues in his election as Pro-Vice-Chancellor, when he stood against the establishment candidate. He did all that while completing the landmark Poverty in the United Kingdom. We both in turn left the University of Essex, and our contacts were less frequent but no less warm. Peter was one of those rare people with whom one could resume a conversation after several months without any need for preliminaries. In academic terms, I was particularly won over by his "international turn", and I contributed two chapters to his book with David Gordon on World Poverty. At the ILO, his recent research was much appreciated, but he may not have realised just how much his work influenced the post-Lisbon 2000 establishment of the European Union social indicators, with their multi-dimensional approach to poverty and deprivation. I have used the word "encouraged" several times, and this was Peter's hallmark. A fierce critic of what he regarded to be scientifically unjustified or morally wrong, he was throughout his academic life a great positive force in British social science. He is a much missed friend.
Tony Atkinson 

Peter was incredibly kind and supportive to me when, back in the mid 1980, colleagues and I were trying to clarify how changed food systems were affected the meaning and reality of living on a low income. We first met when he came to talk to us at the London Food Commission, a Greater London Council funded think-tank and research group (1984-1990). He was interested in our work (led by Issy Cole-Hamilton, Tim Lobstein and others) on food poverty. We were trying to explore new arguments about the impact of food retailing concentration, for instance. And Peter both listened, agreed and probed. I met him on and off over the last quarter century or so. I had a particularly enjoyable few days in Lisbon with him at a conference there on food poverty. What a great man, and what a great role he played for us all, not least as a role model of the engaged academic. I was about to send him my colleagues and my new book on Food Policy which has two chapters on food and social (in)justice and poverty. Its thinking owes a lot to him and I wanted to thank him. Now I cannot but am reduced to putting this eulogy into cyberspace. Such is modern life and death.
Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy, City University London

Peter was remarkable for his warmth, enthusiasm, drive and generosity. At our end-of-year Child Rights class celebration, we fondly told him he had created a veritable army of rights advocates through his teaching and his work. Despite being a 'big name', he seemed to have endless time to discuss, advise and inspire his students and was genuinely interested in our thoughts. He kindly and actively continued to encourage and guide my work on poverty and human rights after graduation. I am grateful to have met and studied with Peter, and am truly saddened to hear of his passing.
Helen Vieth, MSc Human Rights 2006-07

Peter leaves a beautiful legacy of social justice. As a student on his Child Rights and Child poverty course last year I felt he passed this baton of passion on to myself and all my fellow students. Of course, this baton came with a huge dose of careful analysis of policies and systems, for he was one who perfectly struck the balance between being sensibly pragmatic and an unstoppable idealist! Peter's dedication to the eradication of poverty will continue to inspire students across the globe and I absolutely believe his life has made this world a better place to live in for the world's most vulnerable and marginalised.
Lucy Aitken Read, LSE Alumni

Our Centre in Oxford was deeply privileged to host Peter Townsend for an interview on his research and activism in social policy. This will form part of an introductory series of lectures on social policy at the request of academics at historically Black universities in South Africa. The interview was both deeply humbling and inspiring as Professor Townsend spoke eloquently and passionately about global inequality and the need for a more concerted effort to eliminate child poverty. On the way back to the train station with him I felt moved to tell him that for some of us South Africans who had been active in the anti-apartheid struggle and who were seeking a more fundamental approach to overcoming problems of social policy in SA that he was a great inspiration - a Mandela of social policy. Professor Townsend briefly smiled and replied a little embarrassed that he was a really great supporter of Mandela and that I really did not need to go that far. I am glad I did now, as very sadly he passed away four days after our interview... Hamba Kahle ("Go well on your journey").
Robert Van Niekerk, Oxford

I knew Peter for some thirty-five years. He and I (and David Lockwood) were the Professors in the sociology department at Essex over the Seventies. These were the peak years of the post Sixties student sit-ins - which at Essex, were edgy and self consciously "extreme." We both ended up in the same thankless roles of mediators between the Administration and the more militant students. My sharpest memory of Peter, though, comes from outside the campus: Saturday mornings in the cold and rain of Colchester, he is walking around talking to the volunteers running the stalls of the local Child Poverty or Disability action group, supporting and encouraging them. . I was out of the UK for sixteen years. But when I met Peter again at LSE, he acted as if he had just seen me the day before - and he looked the same, radiating the same energy. I'd heard that he had retired - which was true only empirically. In his most self deprecatory way, he told me that "they" had given him a room and that he was doing a bit of teaching, "here and there." He continued fighting the same causes and subjects: poverty, child poverty, old age; disability, equality and social justice. Peter was the model of academic activism for British social sciences. He talked less about ends, more about means. He believed that the right ends (above all, decency and fairness) are intuitively obvious to most people; the difficulty was to figure out the best means, methods political strategy and social institutions to arrive at these ends. This also applied to his move from the paradigm of "needs" to that of "rights." Around this time, the Director, Tony Giddens, invited me to get together a small working group to talk about Human Rights at LSE. So we (Christine Chinkin, Fred Halliday, myself and a few others) did much talking: planning, scrutinizing other courses and joint teaching. It was soon apparent that to get a little further, we needed Peter Townsend - not just for his commitment and enthusiasm, but also what Conor Gearty rightly terms his "determination and persuasive power." For me personally Peter's most inspiring quality was his resilience. He never seemed to get tired, he never gave up. Peter was a very special person; it was a privilege and pleasure to have known him
Professor Stan Cohen, Department of Sociology, LSE

I first knew Peter when I was a graduate student at Essex in 1969-70. I subsequently got to know him better as a very long term member of the executive of CPAG, when Peter, for so long its towering driving force and mentor, was Chair. He was my referee when I later applied for a senior academic post, but above all he was a writer, intellectual, academic, and political activist for whom I had an unqualified admiration. 'Poverty in the United Kingdom' is one of the towering achievements of post-war British social science, not least in its powerful combination of painstaking analysis, profound analytical skill, and moral force. His insistence that principle, moral conviction, thorough evidence, and political efficacy all went together taught me more than any lesson ever gained from any other quarter of social science. He was always a model, and a source of inspiration, both as an academic and as an active and potent influence on social policy. We are all the better for having learned from and with him, and all the poorer for his loss.
Professor Peter Golding, Loughborough University

Writing on Peter is writing on a giant. Exactly as I felt privileged but fearful when entering his office, I feel tiny now, when writing to his memory. We only met each other a few months ago, when he started supervising parts of my thesis. Yet, these short but meaningful engagements showed me what an extraordinary scholar and human being he was. The thesis was submitted days before his heart attack. His email is still on my mailbox, waiting. He had so many ideas to pursue, so many people to talk to and lectures to give - but he could still spend hours in explaining and developing ideas with me. His insistence on figures and analysis - making social policy a science and not only an ideology - stands in sharp contrast with the growing trends of populism and hollow rhetoric. He represented a different generation, and a different culture we too often ignore. I was stunned by the enthusiasm and open mind of a scholar who has made history in his life time. In the thesis, I wrote that his approach makes him younger than many of us. It's a tragedy that his sharp and young mind shaped the thinking of many of us, but failed to keep his heart working. I'll miss him, and remember his special character.
Gal Alon

Peter was my most inspiring teacher when I came to the LSE as a graduate student in the 60s and he remained an admirable model ever since, always pushing the boundaries of the possible in favour of the most disadvantaged. I will never forget how he made us students want to do more to help change the world. It would be great if we knew how to follow in his shoes. We will all miss him.
Professor Anne Power, Department of Social Policy, LSE

Peter was a gigantic challenge to us all. His was a life devoted to academic excellence applied to the cause of the poor, the disposessed, the excluded and the oppressed across the world. For him Human Rights were never allowed to become an effete intellectual end in themselves. He always saw them as an essential means of eliminating social and political injustice. Our love and solidarity go to Jean and his family.
Frank Judd

I had the great privilege of working with Peter in organizing a seminar at ILO in Geneva, which he inspired with his extraordinary blend of intellectual clarity, vision, enthusiasm and perseverance. Sadly, he did not live to see one of the results of this work, the book "Building Decent Societies" under his editorship, being published later this summer. In his last e-mail, he described the immense pleasure he took in picking up his grandchildren from school, and in discovering the world through their eyes. They have lost their beloved grandfather, and the world has lost one of its most inspiring sociologists and a exceptional advocate of social justice. Farewell, Peter.
Dr Christina Behrendt, ILO

I was privileged to know Peter at an early date, when we were both at Cambridge and I succeeded him as Editor of "Varsity". He already showed the characteristics that would later come to endear him to many thousands of people. Leading a heterogeous group of journalistic amateurs he inspired them to attain things that they would not have attained without them, producing work of surprising maturity, reliability and fairness; and all this he achieved by a friendly hint here, a most careful rebuke there, and by gaining their respect through his example. In all this one often sensed the subtle influence of his first wife, the gentle and gifted Ruth. In later years I was able to follow Peter's achievements only at a distance, but I have never ceased to marvel at the manner in which he achieved true greatness and a vast following through his patent idealism, honesty and courage.
Dr Graham Duke, Oslo, Norway

Amongst his vast number of contributions, I have always thought that the last sentence of "The Last Refuge" was amongst the most powerful he wrote: "It maybe worth reflecting, if indeed a little sadly, that possibly the ultimate test of the quality of a free, democratic and prosperous society is to be found in the standards of freedom, democracy and prosperity enjoyed by its weakest members".
John Hills, Director, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion

Peter was a gentle, subtle and incredible soul, but also one of those exceptional forces of nature. A very unique, very dear, very kind person. I feel immensely privileged I had the chance to get to know him, albeit briefly. He will leave an indelible mark on my very happy year working at LSE. Adieu Peter, je ne t'oublierai jamais.
Melanie Vandenbrouck-Przybylski, V&A

I went to the UK in 1979 to do a Masters degree at York University and was there only a brief period before I saw Peter interviewed about Poverty in the United Kingdom. We never met, but I know how significant his work has been to my own work in New Zealand on poverty issues, especially in work around child poverty and in arguing the case for effective economic and social policies to combat poverty. It is an influence that will long continue in many ways and we are all very much the richer for his long sustained contribution on so many levels. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time.
Michael O'Brien, Astrid Lindgren Guest Professor, Vxj University, Sweden and Associate Professor, Social Policy and Social Work, Massey University, New Zealand

For someone steeped in the study of social injustice and inequality, with the aim of making society more equitable and fair Peter never evinced exhaustion and bitterness in the face of social and political intransigence and callousness towards the disadvantaged. The suffering of the marginalized and the poor pained him and spurred his passionate dedication to their rights and well being. He was persistent and determined, a rigorous researcher who linked academia and policy, insisting that his research should have tangible social benefit. He was undogmatic in orientation both as an academic and as a human being, open-minded, curious, and fundamentally tolerant. Peter always took an interest in his students. When we met at his office he asked me about my writing and research, saving for me information about fellowships to which I could apply and suggesting individuals with whom I could share my writing. Five years ago when we celebrated the end of a course on children's rights that Peter team taught I clearly remember the immense pleasure that he took being surrounded by his students and taking photos of them, beaming, telling us what a joy it was to celebrate the completion of a course together. When he recently gave me a booklet listing his publications he did so with characteristic humility and self-effacement. He shared it with me not because he had an interest in or need for self-promotion, but because he knew we shared interests and commitments, and that I would love to follow the trajectory of his career from the first articles he published as a student at Cambridge to his most recent publications. Peter was a bridge to the past for me. He regaled me with stories of E.M. Forster and Leonard Woolf, giving me access to a world that no longer exists and which has long fascinated me. Peter was deeply concerned with justice, with decency, and with humanity. He wanted people everywhere to have the opportunity to lead lives of dignity, free from poverty and degradation. He was a champion of the marginalized and the stigmatized, of those who did not have the resources and the power to speak for themselves and demand their rights. I miss his smile and his laughter and the gentle way he interacted with me, always taking care and showing sensitivity in conversation to my feelings and perspective. I miss the way he signed his emails off, 'good wishes' and the way he brought to my life at LSE much meaning and inspiration. I miss the playfulness of his humour and the joy of being in his presence. In Yiddish there is a word to describe Peter. Peter was a mentsch. He was a person of uncommon integrity, goodness, and kindness in the profoundest and most expansive sense of the word. He believed and acted upon the principle of the universality of human rights, of the equality of all people, and he brought the world in his lifetime no small measure of grace, justice, dignity, and compassion. He was a mentor, teacher, professor and a friend. I had the good fortune to be able to thank him many times for what he taught me in each of these capacities. Now I thank him once more. Between sadness and tears I find myself holding on to the courage and the tenacity of his vision, his warmth and generosity, knowing that Peter would want me and us to continue right where he left off, indefatigable.
Noam Schimmel, MSc Student, 2004

I had not had much contact with Peter in recent years but we saw a lot of each other when I was working at the LSE in 1958-65 as Richard Titmuss's research assistant. As a very junior member of the Titmuss/Townsend/Abel-Smith group, I was greatly influenced by their ideas and have remained so ever since - in particular their work on pensions - the Labour Party's National Superannuation plan embodying a totally new approach to state pensions which was the foundation of a great deal of work I did over the next 40 years, including work with Peter and others in the campaign headed by Barbara Castle to restore "SERPS". It was the Townsend/Abel-Smith research on poverty and inequality that led me to become the first full-time worker of the Child Poverty Action Group - the model of a research-based pressure group which they had created. But of all Peter's works, perhaps the one that impressed me most was his study of old people's homes, The Last Refuge, as relevant today as it was nearly half a century ago, despite great improvements for which Peter could claim much of the credit. In the preface to that book, he described Titmuss and Abel-Smith as having "a rich capacity for asking fundamental questions and passing on a sense of intellectual excitement". What better description could there be of Peter?
Tony Lynes

Peter Townsend was the kind of scholar that every student should have once in their academic life: inspiring, generous and highly respectful of his students' ideas and work. I feel very honoured to have had the opportunity to sit in his classes during my MA in 2005. A great loss.
Lourdes Hernandez-Martin, Language Centre, LSE

Peter Townsend was an inspiration to so many and his death leaves a great void. In the early 1970s his research findings and his powerful writings influenced those of us developing policies to combat poverty in Ireland. Together with the parallel work of Seamus O Cinneide in Dublin Townsend's ideas contributed to the initiative of the Irish Government which led to the first European Poverty Programme, adopted as part of the 1973 Social Action Programme. I was closely involved in those moves, working with Irish Minister Frank Cluskey and EEC Commission Vice President Patrick Hillery. As we were working on the details of the Poverty Programme I visited the University of Essex where Adrian and Dorothy Sinfield set up a memorable dinner-seminar with Peter Townsend, Denis Marsden and Tony Atkinson. Peter's inspirational input gave a real impetus to the efforts to give policies a true focus. Next year's EU Year of Combating Social Exclusion should be dedicated to the memory of this remarkable man.
Tony Brown, Institute of International and European Affairs, Dublin 

He was the last of the legend generation of social policy adademics, including Richard Titmuss and Brian Abel-Smith.
Dimitris Venieris

I am deeply saddened after I learnt of Professor Townsend's death. I first encountered his "Poverty in the UK" book, in the early eighthies. His clear understanding of the causes and consequences of the inequalities in the society, his denounces and his stand to defend the Thalidomide-affected, will lead the future generations follow the path he walked to make this a better world for all. Sincerely,
Alberto Rizo, MD, MPH Bogota, Colombia

Peter was a wonderful man who inspired everyone in the fields in which he worked. I first met him in the mid-1980s when we were both advising the Labour Party on health and social policy. I was already of course familiar with Poverty in the UK, and well aware that he had jointly been the key author of the Black report on health inequalities. A memorable day was when the chair of the Health Education Council prohibited the (unannounced) press launch of Margaret Whitehead's The Health Divide in March 1987, and Peter and Douglas Black led us through the streets of Soho to the offices of the Disability Alliance, where the press conference took place. Peter remained a champion of and powerful advocate for 'social equity as if people mattered' to the end.
Alex Scott-Samuel

Only today I was thinking of Peter (before I heard of his death) - the news was covering child poverty in 2009 and used the relative poverty concept pioneered by Townsend. Such a loss.
Jeff Walker, BSc Social Policy, Bristol 1991 :-(

Peter is a great loss to the world of social policy, in both the academy and the world. I am sad to hear the news of his death. His work on poverty, older people and social and economic rights is widely recognised internationally. Throughout his life he made an outstanding contribution to research, advocacy and activism that has been an inspiration to generations of students and colleagues. It was a privilege to have him as a PhD supervisor, a colleague and friend. He was ever the incisive thinker and lively advocate.
Dr Wendy Thomson, Director, School of Social Work, McGill University, Canada

Peter was a giant in his field, all the more so because of his ever-present humility and modesty. I remember studying Peter's work when I was a student at the LSE in the mid 1970s. I was thrilled when I got to know him personally when I came to the Human Rights Centre at the LSE and I learnt a great deal from him in our many conversations about human rights. He had wonderful stories to tell about the post-war Labour government. In every era Peter seemed to bring fresh insights and new perspectives to the major social policy issues of the day. These were always enriched by his personal passion for social justice and human rights. His loss is immeasurable.
Professor Francesca Klug, Centre for the Study of Global Governance, LSE

Professor Townsend has been a great example for all researchers working on poverty issues. His arguments on the importance of analyzing poverty and looking for solutions to this persistent scourge through a human rights lens will continue to resound long after his departure.
Simone Cecchini, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

I came in to LSE today in the hope of talking to Peter about disability and class: news of his death is a great shock. He had been in such good form recently. Aside from his outstanding work on poverty with which he continued to the end, he made an equally important contribution to the way in which social policy research was presented. So great was the quality of his writing that in France it was regarded as literature and at one stage used in French schools as an exemplar of written English. After supervising my little student research project at LSE he took me with him as a research assistant to the University of Essex in 1963. In later years I took strength from his example of sticking with a concern when times were uncongenial, and from the importance he attached to the quality of writing as an intrinsic part of the research process.
Sally Sainsbury, Emeritus Reader in Social Administration, LSE

As my PhD supervisor at Bristol, Peter was an inspiration in so many ways, always encouraging me to lift my head and look at the wider global picture, as he put it. An articulate and passionate supporter of scholarly campaigns to focus on the global dimensions of social policy, he and I crossed paths regularly over the years since then through our mutual interest in global social policy. His is a legacy that will undoubtedly endure - not only in my own work but also in that of many, many others for generations to come.
Nicola Yeates, The Open University

I wish to extend my sincere condolences to the family and colleagues of Professor Peter Townsend. Throughout my academic and professional activities I have always followed his work with great interest and admiration. Last February, Peter visited us in Geneva and greatly contributed to my recent report to the Human Rights Council. His work as a social policy researcher and his relentless commitment as a global advocate for human rights will remain as a reference for all those working for the elimination of poverty around the world.
Magdalena Sepulveda, UN Independent Expert on Human Rights and Extreme Poverty

A true inspiration, and a wonderful teacher. I took his Masters class three years ago, and I don't think I'd ever had a teacher so willing to listen to and understand his students, and this from a man who had such an immense knowledge himself. Intelligent, sharp, humble, humourous... and sorely missed.
Paul Bernal, PhD student, Law Department, LSE

It was Peter Townsend who laid the foundations that have made the Centre for the Study of Human Rights what it is today. It was Peter's idea to secure a discrete suite of rooms for the Centre. It was Peter's determination and persuasive power that achieved the Manager as well as the Director post for the centre - and it was Peter, too, who was a vital supporter in securing Joy Whyte as the first holder of this post. As chair of our advisory board during my first five years as director, Peter was a constant source of good advice and professional support, and of personal friendship as well. We last talked just a couple of days before his death, about the appointment of my successor as Director. We last met at our annual Alumni dinner in May, where Peter made a well-judged and self-effacing set of comments which meant an enormous amount to me. I last caught sight of him on his way home from that dinner via a group of MSc graduates who had gathered enthusiastically around him, not wanting to let him go. Now alas we have to. His commitment to human rights as a means of securing justice and the alleviation of poverty was total: I feel honoured to have known him.
Professor Conor Gearty, Centre for the Study of Human Rights, LSE

'My soul, do not seek immortal life, but exhaust the realm of the possible' (Pindar). When I think about Peter, I find that focusing on certain aspects of his personality would only obscure the extraordinary amalgam of qualities which made him an exceptional human being. His pioneering work has inspired and will inspire generations of scholars with its scientific rigour and sensitivity to people's feelings. A unique combination of great intellect and passion, Peter would not miss any opportunity to express his views about social rights and the elimination of child poverty. His vision for social justice, his ability to open new research and policy avenues, his real love for people and especially his family, gave him inexhaustible energy. To those of us who were lucky to have met him, however, Peter was much more than the legendary scholar, the inspiring teacher, the tireless campaigner for human rights and advocate of all socially disadvantaged. He was above all a friend who would welcome us with a smile and offer his time generously, who would engage in a conversation about research or current affairs with the enthusiasm and curiosity of a child and make us, younger researchers, feel on a par with him. He did not only preach equality but also practised it. To me, Peter was a mentor whose humility, kindness and support restored my faith in academia and made me see what a true scholar and teacher should be like. For this, I will be eternally grateful. His sudden death came as a shock. His spirit and soul were so overpowering that he seemed to be defying time. Peter leaves an irreplaceable gap. We will greatly miss him but his memory will be rekindling our inner light.
Dina Davaki, Department of Social Policy, LSE

I had the great privilege of being taught by Professor Townsend in his 'Child Rights, Child Poverty, and Development' course in 2006/2007. His life's work is inspired and passionate, dedicated to ending child poverty within the world. Professor Townsend was a truly humble person - a real gentleman that allowed me to feel less intimidated about studying at LSE. As a lecturer, he took his time to introduce students to careful, calculated, and complex thinking when dealing with child poverty issues and causes whilst remaining optimistic, believing that things always progress in life. I send his friends and family and the department my regards and hope that future students remain using Professor Townsend's ideas to add value and progression to their work on poverty eradication.
Melissa Jane Knight, MSc Social Policy and Planning 2006-2008

I was deeply affected and saddened by the news of Professor Townsend's death. Peter was an intellect who inspired many across the world on dealing with complexities of poverty. His article: the UN model.." demonstrated his commitment, concerns for those suffering extreme poverty across the global and this influence has made a great impact on Sub-saharan countries. I worked for him for years and found him to be someone who is easy to work, always made the whole team laugh. He particulary inspired me to get involved in international development. I will miss him. May his soul rest in peace.
Anne Okello, Department of Social Policy

Peter will be remembered as a fabulous academic, intellectual and activist. For me he was also an inspiration and a good friend who was there whenever a clever advice was needed. His work, research and dedication to the most vulnerable, particularly children, has made him an unforgettable person who will stay forever in our memories. I will miss you Peter, your energy and enthusiasm, your brilliance and wisdom, your kindness and smile. You showed us that the world and the people, beyond being understood, must be loved.
Armando Simes, MSc student at LSE 2002/2003, PhD student at University of Sussex

He was one of the finest scholars and activists in the sphere of social policy, Not least he advocated the fixing of pensions in relation to average earnings. He immediately grasped that my own work in Sparkbrook meshed with his own studies of the New Poor. I grieve for him as a great man.
John Rex

What a loss. He was one of those scholars that you only meet once in a lifetime.
Dr Babken Babajanian, Department of Social Policy, LSE

In the fight against poverty the name of Peter Townsend will surely be at least as legendary as that of Robin Hood - and a great deal more universally respected. Peter brought courage, commitment and charisma to that struggle - but also unremitting scientific rigour. My first contact with Peter was in 1988 when he was external examiner for my PhD. His warmth and his enquiring approach turned the viva into a stimulating conversation, not a trial. Two decades later I would inhabit the office next to Peter at the LSE, which was an extraordinary privilege. The fact that his unexpected passing occurred within days of the first anniversary of my own parents' death has reminded me of the sensitivity and kindness he had so typically showed to me at that time. He was an intellectual giant with a quintessential human touch.
Dr Hartley Dean, Department of Social Policy, LSE

It is a great privilege to have known and worked with Peter Townsend during my years at the Centre for the Study of Human Rights and I am deeply saddened by the thought that he is no longer around to provide intellectual guidance, share his rich experience, and inspire us with new ideas. Every discussion with Peter stimulated thoughts and every encounter with him, no matter how brief, had some genuine warmth about it.
Gerd Oberleitner, University of Graz

Peter's work was truly inspirational and like many others I had read and admired his work long before I met him. It was wonderful, then, finally to meet the man and find that he not only talked but really lived his values. He was a kind and generous colleague who offered genunine support to all around him. He is sadly missed.
Katherine Rake, former Lecturer, Social Policy, LSE

I was utterly awed when I came to work at the Centre for the Study of Human Rights and discovered that THE Peter Townsend (whose work I had studied as a undergraduate) was chair of the Centre's Advisory Board and so someone with whom I would have considerable contact. And then to find him not only so inspiring, dedicated and enthused about the issues but also so generous and genuinely interested in everyone around him. I recently spent a lunchtime bending his ear, only to have him call me a couple of hours later to apologise that all our talk had been 'shop' talk and that he hadn't asked about me. I've only known Peter a few years, but I genuinely feel touched by him, and am so sad to think I will not see him again. If comfort is to be had, it must be in that he inspired so many, was so loved, and - as I'm sure he would have wanted - that he was 'full speed ahead' until the end.
Zoe Gillard, Centre for the Study of Human Rights, LSE

Not only was Peter a brilliant, hugely productive academic, one of the world's most famous figures in social policy, but this was no ivory tower academic. He worked with ceaseless energy in the politics of poverty. Even today, as I write this. I know he had planned to be at a meeting of the Disability Alliance. He taught me when I was an undergraduate at LSE, making me a temporary research assistnt one summer.It was only later when I learnt that he had been brought up with some difficulty by a single mother that I understand why. Peter knew that I too was a single mother. His commitment to forms of redistribution which preserved human dignity, was at the core of both his thinking about social policy and in his personal practice in the everyday world. I have been privileged to have had Peter as a dear friend and colleague for so many years and shall miss him sorely.
Hilary Rose, Visiting Professor of Sociology at BIOS

Peter has left an extraordinary legacy. The depth of his intellect and the force of his compassion united in a sustained battle against poverty domestically and globally. While I celebrate his singular contribution to the field, I mourn the loss of all the ideas that will now be left unspoken. Peter and I were together a few months ago at the UN working on issues of common concern - he had so much left to say and do. And we needed him too. Five years together at the LSE and I had only just begun to learn from Peter. Through conversation and commentary he enhanced my work tremendously; with his friendship and support he enriched my life incalculably. Peter represented the best of what it means to be human. I will miss him terribly yet seek some small comfort in having had the great fortune and honour of having known him at all.
Dr Margot Salomon, Centre for the Study of Human Rights, LSE

Professor Townsend was such a brillant academic and a fine gentleman, he would greatly be missed. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family in this time of great loss.
Sharon Parku, NGO Management 2002-03

I was touched by Peter Townsend's passion for doing research and influencing policy to combat child poverty. I took his course at the LSE in 2003. I have worked on child poverty reduction research and policy since then and greatly value what I learned from him. He was always smiling, so that is the way I will remember him. He will be missed.
Paola Pereznieto

When I used to take MSc Human Rights dissertations or essays to Professor Townsend in my early days as MSc administrator, I would leave his office thinking what a wonderful place to be, LSE, and what a wonderful job I had, to work with people who genuinely enjoyed their work to the core, of whom Peter was a prime example. It was no chore for him to mark essays, however many I took and whatever time constraints he surely had. No matter how many times students chose the same topic, the same essay question, he would comment on how great they were, how refreshing, maybe how one or two had struggled a bit. I would think how great to have been in academia for so long, and to have a new day, each day, in which to explore a topic with such dedication. And yet his area of expertise was in the darker areas, of poverty in it's many forms and our inability to eradicate it again and again. Those who knew him far better than I will know his motivations and strength of character, but from this glimpse Peter, I am reminded that it is possible to be good, selfless and dedicated to betterment even if all around you see people loosing their heads, decay and destitution. He reminds me we can hope for better and work for better things, and not just for ourselves. I never took his classes but I've no doubt that some measure of this carried to his students. He was truly a gentleman.
Harriet Gallagher, LSE

May the soul of Peter rest in perfect peace. AMEN. Peter left an indelible mark for posterity in the area of poverty eradication, social and economic rights and justice. He is often sited during my lectures with students of Medical Sociology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. Peeter was dedicated and committed in his profession which was so dear to his heart. May his work and ideas be propagatged for a better society, global peace and justice.
Dr Josephine Nkiru-Edna Alumanah, University of Nigeria

Last year we were celebrating his birthday and now we shall be grateful for his life. His findings influenced policy, his lectures inspired us and his interests in particular in child poverty and rights shall always be and inspiration. My deepest sympathy to his family it is a great loss not only as professor but as human being.
Silvia Ponce, MSc student 2006-07

We lost a great academic but more than anything else a truly great man. We travelled together to China. On our arrival, we spent half day walking around the temple of Heaven and we talked and talked..... he left a deep mark in my mind and heart as I am sure he did in so many people who had the joy and hounour to spend time with him. Goodbye.
Dr Gabi Lombardo, Academic Partnerships

Peter will be very greatly missed. It is so rare to encounter someone who so effortlessly combined intelligence, commitment and wisdom with such kindness and generosity of spirit. Peter set a wonderful example to us all.
Dr David Lewis, Department of Social Policy, LSE

Professor Townsend's work got me through my Social Policy degree at Goldsmiths - what a fantastic academic. Very sorry to hear of the loss.
Kate Brown, Graduate of Social Policy

Peter has been and will continue to be a towering figure in our subject. He challenged accepted wisdoms and opened new avenues of work with an intensity that was infectious. His contribution to conceptualising poverty is recognised all over the world but his vivid accounts of the life of the poor will live on too, such as those in 'The Last Refuge'. It was reading his and Brian Abel-Smith's essays in 'Conviction' as a second year undergraduate at Oxford that made me decide to take up research in social policy. I am glad I managed to convey that to Peter last year. We shall all miss his unique mixture of humour and passion.
Professor Howard Glennerster, Department of Social Policy, LSE

He was a true source of inspiration. I feel very lucky to have been one of his students. His work must be not only remembered but also continued. My deep condolences to his family and friends.
Maria Ron Balsera

I deeply grieve about such a loss and understanding that we will never ever have another opportunity of meeting and talking to Professor Peter Townsend. He was a passionate lecturer and a genuine supporter of child rights! It was a pleasure to be one of his students, to get the updates and to have a possibility to discuss his original ideas on social policy. He had a great respect for young people and young people liked him too. I know that, because my decision to take the Child Rights and Development course at LSE in 2006-07 was initially due to the subject but eventually I realised how lucky I was to have such a wonderful lecturer as Professor Townsend! The course was always full of students.  My condolences to his family. We will all miss him.
Zhanar Zhakeyeva, MSc student 2006-07

His warmth and enthusiasms were infectious and his presence always lit up our dark corridor. Most of all I enjoyed his sense of humour.  
Dr Steen Mangen, Department of Social Policy, LSE

Professor Peter Townsend was a most supportive colleague and worked hard to promote the idea of international social policy. He worked tirelessly around issues of poverty, and more recently became particularly interested in child poverty and rights. He was hugely helpful in discussing with us a joint research proposal with the Centre for Human Rights. He was a very modest person and a kind person and of course an excellent scholar. He will be sorely missed.
Professor Jude Howell, Centre for Civil Society, Department of Social Policy, LSE

It's not often you get to meet a living legend, but Peter was just that. We shared a few lunches and many a stimulating conversation. What really struck me about Peter was his passion and his genuine interest in people, not just as objects of study but as real, living, breathing entities. He was, and remains, an inspiration. I shall remember Peter fondly and will always be grateful to him for taking the trouble to make me feel welcome. A real gentleman.
Dr Michael Shiner, Department of Social Policy, LSE

A great loss to the Department. I shall miss our afternoon chats, his kind words, and of course his wisdom. A lovely, dear gentleman, who always had time for everyone.
Dianne Josephs, Department of Social Policy, LSE