Michael Pakenham Michael Pakenham Sir Michael Aidan Pakenham, (born 3 November 1943) is a British retired diplomat. Pakenham is the third son of Labour politician Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, and Elizabeth Harman. He is the brother of Thomas Pakenham, Lady Antonia Fraser and Lady Rachel Billington. He was educated at Ampleforth College and Trinity College, Cambridge, and was an exchange fellow at Rice University. Pakenham was briefly a reporter for the "Washington Post" before joining the Foreign Office in 1965. He served in Nairobi and Warsaw before being seconded to the Cabinet Office 1971–74 as Assistant Private Secretary, then Private
Richard Pakenham Richard Pakenham Sir Richard Pakenham PC (19 May 1797 – 28 October 1868) was a British diplomat. He served as Ambassador to the United States from 1835 until 1847, during which time he unsuccessfully worked to prevent U.S. annexation of Texas and California by establishing British forces there instead. Pakenham, the fifth son of Admiral Sir Thomas Pakenham, by his wife, Louisa, daughter of the Right Hon. John Staples, was born at Pakenham Hall, County Westmeath, Ireland. He completed his education at Trinity College, Dublin, and, apparently without waiting to take a degree, entered the foreign office on 15 October