Stanley Baldwin

The Right Honourable Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC (3 August 1867–14 December 1947) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on three separate occasions.

Early life

Born at Bewdley in Worcestershire, he was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge (where he received a third class degree in history), and went into the family business. In the 1906 general election he contested Kidderminster but lost amidst an anti-Conservative landslide. In 1908 he succeeded his deceased father as MP for Bewdley. During the First World War he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to Conservative leader Andrew Bonar Law and in 1917 he was appointed to the junior ministerial post of Financial Secretary to the Treasury where he sought to encourage voluntary donations by the rich in order the repay the United Kingdom's war debt, notably writing to The Times under the pseudonym 'FST'. He personally donated one fifth of his not all that substantial fortune. In 1921 he was promoted to the Cabinet as President of the Board of Trade.

Related Topics:
Bewdley - Worcestershire - Harrow - Trinity College, Cambridge - 1906 general election - Kidderminster - Conservative - 1908 - MP - Bewdley - First World War - Parliamentary Private Secretary - Andrew Bonar Law - 1917 - Financial Secretary to the Treasury - The Times - 1921 - President of the Board of Trade

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In late 1922 dissatisfaction grew within the Conservative Party about the coalition it was in with David Lloyd George. At a meeting of Conservative MPs at the Carlton Club in October Baldwin announced that he would no longer support the coalition and famously condemned Lloyd George for being a "dynamic force" that was bringing destruction across politics. The meeting chose to leave the coalition despite the views of most of the party leadership. As a result the Conservatives' new leader, Andrew Bonar Law was forced to find new ministers for his Cabinet and so he promoted Baldwin to the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer. In November a general election was held and the Conservatives were returned with a majoirty.

Related Topics:
1922 - David Lloyd George - Carlton Club - Andrew Bonar Law - Chancellor of the Exchequer - General election

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