Enoch Powell was born on 16 June 1912, the son of Albert Enoch Powell and Ellen Mary Breese. He was educated at King Edwards School, Birmingham and Trinity College, Cambridge, his awards and academic qualifications including: Craven Scholar, 1931; First Chancellor’s Classical Medallist; Porson Prizeman; Browne Medallist, 1932; BA (Cantab); Craven Travelling Student, 1933; Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, 1934-1938; MA (Cantab) 1937; Diploma in Oriental and African Studies. In 1952 he married Margaret Pamela Wilson, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Lionel Wilson, Indian Army; they had two daughters.

Powell's academic career continued until the war, in the post of Professor of Greek in the University of Sydney, New South Wales, in Australia, 1937-1939. He then enlisted as a Private and Lance Corporal in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 1939-1940, swiftly winning promotion as: 2nd Lieutenant General List, 1940; Captain, General Staff, 1940-1941; Major, General Staff, 1941; Lieutenant-Colonel, General Staff, 1942; Colonel, General Staff, 1944; Brigadier, 1944.

On leaving the Army, Powell turned to politics. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West, from 1950 to February 1974, and (as an Ulster Unionist) Down South, October 1974-1983, and South Down, 1983-1987 (resigning his seat in December 1985 in protest against the Anglo-Irish Agreement; re-elected January 1986), finally contesting (again as an Ulster Unionist) South Down in 1987. Powell's Parliamentary career included the posts of: Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Local Government, December 1955-January 1957; Financial Secretary to the Treasury, 1957-1958; Minister of Health, July 1960-October 1963.

Powell's publications include: The Rendel Harris Papyri (1936); First Poems (1937); A Lexicon to Herodotus (1938); The History of Herodotus (1939); Casting-off, and other poems (1939); Herodotus, Book VIII (1939); Llyfr Blegywryd (1942); Thucydidis Historia (1942); Herodotus (translation) (1949); Dancer’s End and The Wedding Gift (poems) (1951); The Social Services; Needs and Means (1952); (jointly) One Nation (1950); Change is our Ally (1954); Biography of a Nation (with Angus Maude) (1955, 2nd edition 1970); Great Parliamentary Occasions (1960); Saving in a Free Society (1960); A Nation not Afraid (1965); Medicine and Politics (1966, revised edition 1976); The House of Lords in the Middle Ages (with Keith Wallis) (1968); Freedom and Reality (1969); Common Market: the case against (1971); Still to Decide (1972); Common Market: renegotiate or come out (1973); No Easy Answers (1973); Wrestling with the Angel (1977); Joseph Chamberlain (1977); A Nation or No Nation (editor R. Ritchie) (1978); Enoch Powell on 1992 (editor Richard Ritchie) (1989); Collected Poems (1990); The Evolution of the Gospel (1994); numerous political pamphlets.

Enoch Powell died on 8 February 1998.