Frederick Attenborough

Frederick Levi Attenborough (4 April 1887– 20 March 1973) was a British academic.

Early life

He was the son of Frederick and Mary Attenborough of Stapleford in Nottinghamshire. He was educated at schools in Long Eaton. He became a teacher at the Long Eaton Higher Elementary School in 1913. This school was founded by Samuel Clegg, the headmaster, in 1910. He married the headmaster's daughter, Mary Clegg, in 1922. In 1915 he went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge as a Foundation Scholar and Choral Exhibitioner, and gained a first class degree in the Modern and Medieval Languages Tripos. From 1918-20 he was a research student and a fellow from 1920-5. From 1925-32 he was Principal of the Borough Road Training College (became the West London Institute of Higher Education in 1976) in Isleworth.

University of Leicester

Attenborough was principal of University College, Leicester from 1932 to 1951, and lived with his family on campus in College House (which now houses part of the University's Mathematics department).

He was married to Mary Clegg (died 1961), of New Sawley. They had three children:

• Richard Samuel Attenborough, now Baron Attenborough, the actor and director
• David Frederick Attenborough, now Sir David, the TV naturalist
• John Michael Attenborough, Executive at Alfa Romeo

During the Second World War, the Attenboroughs took in two Jewish refugee girls who lived with them in College House. One of them encouraged son David's fascination with the natural...
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