David Lloyd George

The Right Honourable David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, OM , PC (January 17, 1863 – March 26, 1945) was a British statesman and the last Liberal to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Later political career

Throughout the next two decades Lloyd George remained on the margins of British politics, being frequently predicted to return to office but never succeeding. In 1929 Lloyd George became Father of the House, the longest serving member of the Commons. In 1931 an illness prevented his joining the National Government when it was formed. Later when the National Government called a General Election he tried to pull the Liberal Party out of it but succeeded in taking only a few followers, most of whom were related to him.

Related Topics:
1929 - Father of the House - 1931 - National Government

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In 1935 he sought to promote a radical programme of economic reform, often called "Lloyd George's New Deal" after the contemporary New Deal of the US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. However the programme did not find favour in the mainstream political parties. Later that year Lloyd George and his familty reunited with the Liberal Party in Parliament. In the late 1930s he was sent by the British government to try to dissuade Adolf Hitler from his plans of Europe-wide fascist expansion.

Related Topics:
1935 - New Deal - Franklin Delano Roosevelt - 1930s - Adolf Hitler - Fascist

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During the Second World War there was speculation about Lloyd George returning to government, and even suggestions of making him Prime Minister once more, but these came to nothing. In early 1945 he accepted a peerage as Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor and Viscount Gwynedd, of Dwyfor in the County of Caernarvon. He had already formed the view that he would lose his seat in the House of Commons at the next General Election, but the offer of a peerage turned his fortunes around because it enabled him to remain active in politics not just for the next parliamentary term but for the rest of his life. However, he died shortly afterwards without ever taking up his seat in the House of Lords at the age of 82.

Related Topics:
Second World War - Prime Minister - Dwyfor - County - Caernarvon - House of Lords

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His perceived double-dealing on many issues alienated many of his former supporters, but there is no doubt that he was a brilliant politician, hence his nickname: The Welsh Wizard. He also had a reputation as a womaniser, and, following the death of his wife, he married his secretary and mistress, Frances Stevenson.

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