Clark, Alan Kenneth McKenzie (1928-1999)

British Conservative politician and military historian. He served as a minister of state for defence 1989-92 but failed to achieve Cabinet rank. In 1997 he returned to politics as MP for Kensington and Chelsea. His Diaries (1993), a record of his political career, have been labelled as frequently indiscreet.

His historical works include The Donkeys (1961), a study of British military leadership in World War I; and Barbarossa (1965), an examination of the Nazi invasion of Russia in 1941.

Clark was educated at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford. After leaving university he trained as a barrister and was elected Conservative MP for Plymouth Sutton in 1974. His father was the cultural historian Kenneth Clark.