A. V. Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Hillsborough
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2020) |
Brendan Bracken | |
---|---|
In office 7 June 1929 – 24 August 1931 | |
Monarch | George V |
Prime Minister | Ramsay MacDonald |
Preceded by | William Bridgeman |
Succeeded by | Sir Austen Chamberlain |
Personal details | |
Born | Labour and Co-operative | 1 May 1885
Spouse |
Esther Chapple (m. 1908) |
Albert Victor Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Hillsborough,
Early life and career
Born in Weston-super-Mare and one of four children,[1] A. V. Alexander was the son of Albert Alexander, a blacksmith and later engineer who had moved from his native Wiltshire to Bristol during the agricultural depression of the 1860s and 1870s, and Eliza Jane Thatcher, daughter of a policeman. He was named after both his father and Prince Albert Victor, Queen Victoria's eldest grandson, but he was known as "A. V." from a young age. His parents had settled in Weston when they married, but the family moved to Bristol after Albert Alexander's death in August 1886. Alexander's mother worked as a corset-maker to provide for her children.
Alexander attended Barton Hill School from the age of three, at a cost of two pence per week. Against his mother's wishes, he chose not to continue to St. George's Higher Grade School in 1898, feeling the increased weekly charge of six pence was too expensive and that he would get nothing more from school. He began work aged thirteen, first for a leather merchant, and five months later as a junior clerk with the Bristol School Board. In 1903 he transferred to
Raised an
First World War
He volunteered for service when the
Parliamentary career
In late 1920, Alexander applied for the position of Parliamentary Secretary to the
In his
After the government fell in October 1924, Alexander returned to working for the Co-op full-time. He became well known for his testimonies before government committees, and used the Co-op's Parliamentary Committee to help co-ordinate responses to government action during the
First Lord of the Admiralty
Although many had expected Alexander to be appointed
Faced with a cabinet split, the Prime Minister formed a coalition with the Conservative and Liberal parties. Snowden and a few other Labour MPs stayed with MacDonald, but the party went into Opposition. Alexander was prominent on the Opposition front bench, leading attacks on the government's policies, but was careful not to exploit the widespread dissatisfaction with pay cuts in the armed forces (especially the Invergordon Mutiny), concerned that the military should not become involved in political matters. Effectively now number two after Henderson in the Parliamentary Labour Party, he was being talked of as a future leader. Both Alexander and Henderson lost their seats in the 1931 general election. Henderson was succeeded by George Lansbury, and Alexander's contemporary, Clement Attlee, became deputy leader.
For the next four years, Alexander's main role was again as the Co-op's Parliamentary Secretary. He led opposition to renewed government plans to impose Corporation Tax on co-op stores, a fight that was lost this time with the 1933 Finance Bill. He also worked to have consumer interests represented on the new agricultural marketing boards. He was active in the
Under Churchill and Attlee
Following the outbreak of
Alexander returned to the Admiralty as First Lord, but like the other service ministers, was dominated by Churchill and existed very much in his shadow.[4] It was a measure of Churchill's confidence in him that he was not given access to the secret information, nor was he allowed in the War Room. By appointing himself his own Minister of Defence, Churchill was well placed to exercise close supervision over the three services.[5]
An example was Churchill's decision to send
Alexander performed his duties with energy and diligence. He was committed to the administrative duties of his role, often sleeping in his office, but also took a keen interest in the welfare of sailors. He joined an
A member of the Cabinet following Labour's victory, Alexander strongly supported the
Leader in the Lords
A. V. Alexander decided not to seek re-election in the
Alexander spoke on virtually every topic whilst leading the Opposition in the Lords. He supported the introduction of
Arms
Notes
- ^ "The Papers of A V Alexander". Cambridge University. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
- ^ "No. 30468". The London Gazette. 8 January 1918. p. 691.
- ^ Stevenson, J., & Cook, C., The Slump, Jonathan Cape, 1977, p. 252.
- ^ Charmley, J., Churchill: The End of Glory, Sceptre, 1993, p. 427.
- ^ Charmley, J., 1993, p. 426.
- ^ Air support had originally been planned in the form of the new aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable, which unfortunately had been damaged when she ran aground during trials off Jamaica, and the replacement carrier HMS Hermes was regarded as too slow. Lamb, R., Churchill as a War Leader, Bloomsbury, 1993, p. 181.
- ^ Lord Moran, Churchill: The Struggle for Survival, Constable, 1966, p. 101.
- ^ Lamb, R., 1993, p. 181.
- ^ Lamb, R., 1993, p. 180.
- ^ Montgomery, B. L., Memoirs , Collins, 1958, Chapter 30.
- ^ "No. 38824". The London Gazette. 27 January 1950. p. 473.
- ^ "No. 38853". The London Gazette. 3 March 1950. p. 1097.
- ^ "No. 42909". The London Gazette. 1 February 1963. p. 979.
- ^ "No. 43293". The London Gazette. 10 April 1964. p. 473.
References
- Montgomery, B.L., Memoirs , Collins, 1958