David Eccles, 1st Viscount Eccles

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David McAdam Eccles, 1st Viscount Eccles KCVO CH PC (born September 18, 1904 in London , † February 24, 1999 ) was a British politician of the Conservative Party .

Life

After attending Winchester College, Eccles studied at New College at the University of Oxford and then worked for the Central Mining Corporation in London and Johannesburg . During the Second World War he initially worked in the Ministry of War Economics before, after working from 1940 to 1942 as an economic advisor to the embassies in Lisbon and Madrid, he finally worked in the Ministry of Production from 1942 to 1943.

As a candidate for the Conservative Party in a by-election in the Chippenham constituency on August 24, 1943, he was elected to the House of Commons for the first time as the successor to the late constituency holder Victor Cazalet and was a member of the House of Commons until he left the House of Commons on August 1, 1962 .

After the Conservatives won the general election on October 25, 1951 , Prime Minister Winston Churchill appointed him Minister of Labor in his cabinet. During this activity he was also responsible for the renovation of public buildings on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation . In this context, he also had public lavatories built in London's Hyde Park and other public places, which were then popularly called "Eccles". In 1953 he was knighted as Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and from then on carried the suffix "Sir".

After a cabinet reshuffle, he became Minister of Education in 1954 and held this position in the cabinet of Churchill's successor, Anthony Eden, until 1957. In the subsequent government of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan , he was first as President of the Board of Trade between 1957 and 1959, and as such was trade minister among others responsible for the Distribution of Industry Act 1958. Then Eccles was again from 1959 to 1962 Minister of Education.

After leaving the House of Commons, he was raised to the nobility in 1962 as 1st Baron Eccles, of Chute in the County of Wiltshire , and was thus a member of the House of Lords until his death . In 1964 he was appointed 1st Viscount Eccles, of Chute in the County of Wiltshire.

After the Conservative Party had won the general election on June 18, 1970 and was able to form government again under Prime Minister Edward Heath , Eccles was appointed Paymaster General and Minister of the Arts and held this cabinet position until 1973 There were sometimes violent arguments with the Chairman of the British Arts Council (Arts Council of Great Britain) Baron Goodman about different views on the promotion of controversially discussed stage works and exhibitions . On the other hand, mandatory entrance fees for museums and art galleries were introduced during his tenure . Subsequently, he was from 1973 to 1978 Chairman of the Committee of the British Library (British Library Board) and 1974-1978 President of the World Council for Arts and Crafts ( World Crafts Council ).

Eccles was married to the well-known book collector Mary Eccles, Viscountess Eccles . The title of Viscount Eccles fell to his son John after his death .

Publications

  • Half-way to faith , London 1966
  • About property owning democracy: some facts and ideas for discussion groups , London 1948
  • Life and politics: a moral diagnosis , London 1967
  • On collecting , London 1968
  • Politics and the quality of life , London 1970, ISBN 0-85070-467-7

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ DER SPIEGEL (No. 23/1953)
predecessor Office successor
New title created Viscount Eccles
1964-1999 		John Eccles
personal data
SURNAME Eccles, David, 1st Viscount Eccles
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eccles, David McAdam Eccles 1st Viscount; Eccles, David McAdam Eccles 1st Baron
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Conservative Party politician, Member of the House of Commons
DATE OF BIRTH September 18, 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH February 24, 1999