Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson was born on 19 June 1964 in New York City to Stanley Johnson, a writer, environmentalist and former Member of the European Parliament, and Charlotte Johnson Wahl, a painter.
He is a British politician, journalist and author who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022.
Earlier roles included Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016 and Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2018.
Educated at Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied classics and served as president of the Oxford Union, Johnson began his professional life in journalism before entering politics.
He holds dual British and American citizenship by birth but has long been a prominent figure in UK public life.
Siblings
Boris is the eldest of four full siblings born to Stanley and Charlotte.
His sister Rachel Johnson, born in September 1965, is a journalist, author, broadcaster and commentator.
She has written columns for major newspapers, edited magazines including The Lady, appeared on reality television such as Celebrity Big Brother, and stood unsuccessfully as a Change UK candidate in the 2019 European elections.
Rachel has often taken positions differing from her brother’s on issues such as Brexit.
Leo Johnson, born in 1967, has pursued a career outside politics as an entrepreneur, sustainability expert and broadcaster.
He co-founded the advisory firm Sustainable Finance, later acquired by PwC, where he has worked as a partner focusing on environmental, social and governance issues.
He has co-presented BBC Radio 4 programmes including FutureProofing and written on business and urban futures.
Jo Johnson, born Joseph Edmund Johnson in December 1971, followed a path closer to politics.
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A former journalist at the Financial Times, he was elected Conservative MP for Orpington in 2010 and held ministerial roles under David Cameron, Theresa May and his brother, including Minister of State for Universities.
He resigned as an MP in 2019 citing tensions between family loyalty and the national interest over Brexit, and was later elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Johnson of Marylebone.
He continues to work in education and digital learning.
The four siblings also have two half-siblings, Julia and Maximilian, from their father’s second marriage to Jennifer Kidd.
Max has worked in investment and business, while Julia is a novelist and singer-songwriter.
Career
Johnson began his career as a journalist after university.
He worked briefly for The Times before joining The Daily Telegraph as its Brussels correspondent in the late 1980s and later as an assistant editor.
From 1999 to 2005 he edited The Spectator magazine while building a public profile through television appearances and columns.
He entered Parliament as the Conservative MP for Henley in 2001, serving until 2008.
In 2008 he was elected Mayor of London, defeating Ken Livingstone, and won re-election in 2012.
During his mayoralty he oversaw the 2012 Olympic Games, introduced the cycle hire scheme popularly known as Boris Bikes, and advanced various transport and planning initiatives.
He returned to the House of Commons in 2015 as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
After campaigning for Leave in the 2016 EU referendum, he was appointed Foreign Secretary by Theresa May, a post he held until resigning in 2018 over Brexit policy differences.
In July 2019 he became Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister.
He led the party to a substantial majority in the December 2019 general election and oversaw the UK’s formal departure from the European Union.
His premiership also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and the early stages of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Johnson announced his resignation as Prime Minister in July 2022 amid internal party pressure and left office in September 2022.
He stood down as an MP in June 2023.
Alongside politics he has written several books, including historical works such as The Churchill Factor and a memoir of his time in office.
Accolades
Johnson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by Brunel University London and became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
He has been named an honorary Australian of the Year in the UK and received honorary citizenship of Odesa in Ukraine.
As a senior minister and later Prime Minister he was sworn of the Privy Council, entitling him to the style “The Right Honourable.”
His books have achieved commercial success, particularly The Churchill Factor.
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