Derick Heathcoat-Amory, 1st Viscount Amory

The Right Honourable

The Viscount Amory

KG GCMG TD PC DL OD
The Right Honourable; The Viscount Amory; KG GCMG TD PC DL OD
Chancellor of the Exchequer
	In office; 6 January 1958 – 27 July 1960
Prime Minister	Harold Macmillan
Preceded by	Peter Thorneycroft
Succeeded by	Selwyn Lloyd
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
	In office; 28 July 1954 – 6 January 1958
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill; Anthony Eden; Harold Macmillan
Preceded by	Thomas Dugdale
Succeeded by	John Hare
Minister of State for Trade
	In office; 3 September 1953 – 28 July 1954
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill
Preceded by	Office Created
Succeeded by	Derek Walker-Smith
Minister of Pensions
	In office; 5 November 1951 – 3 September 1953
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill
Preceded by	George Isaacs
Succeeded by	Osbert Peake
Member of Parliament; for Tiverton
	In office; 5 July 1945 – 1 September 1960
Preceded by	Gilbert Acland-Troyte
Succeeded by	Robin Maxwell-Hyslop
Personal details
Born	26 December 1899; Mayfair, London
Died	20 January 1981 (aged 81); Devon, UK
Political party	Conservative
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1920–1948
Rank	Lieutenant-Colonel
Battles/wars	Second World War

Garter-encircled arms of Derick Heathcoat-Amory, 1st Viscount Amory - viz. Quarterly: 1st and 4th, Argent, two bars gules, on a bend engrailed with plain cottices sable, two annulets of the field; 2nd and 3rd, Vert three piles or, one reversed in base between the others, issuant from the chief, each charged with a pomme, thereon a cross of the 2nd.

Derick Heathcoat-Amory, 1st Viscount Amory, KG, GCMG, TD, PC, DL, OD (/ˈeɪməri/ AY-mər-ee;^[1] 26 December 1899 – 20 January 1981) was a British Conservative politician and member of the House of Lords.

He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1958 and 1960, and later as Chancellor of the University of Exeter from 1972 until his death in 1981.

Background and education[]

Born in London, the son of Sir Ian Heathcoat-Amory, 2nd Baronet (see Heathcoat-Amory baronets) and Alexandra Georgina (OBE; who d. 1942), eldest daughter of Vice-Admiral Henry Seymour CB (brother of Francis, 5th Marquess of Hertford GCB).

He was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, receiving an MA degree.^[2]

His great-nephews include the Rt Hon David Heathcoat-Amory and Sir Ian Heathcoat-Amory, 6th and present baronet.^[3] A great-aunt was the sculptress, Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Countess von Gleichen.

Career[]

Heathcoat-Amory was elected a Devon County Councillor in 1932 and worked in textile manufacturing and banking. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 11th (Devonshire) Brigade of the Royal Artillery (Territorial Army) on 31 July 1920, promoted to lieutenant in the 96th (Royal Devonshire Yeomanry) Field Brigade on 31 July 1922 and promoted to captain on 1 September 1926.^[4]^[5]^[6] He was promoted to major on 1 October 1935.^[7] During the Second World War, he was wounded and captured during Operation Market-Garden. He retired on 1 September 1948 with the honorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.^[3]^[8]

He was elected Member of Parliament for Tiverton in 1945 (a constituency previously held by his grandfather Sir John Heathcoat-Amory, 1st Baronet).^[9] When the Conservatives came to power under Winston Churchill in 1951 he was appointed Minister of Pensions. In September 1953 he was appointed Minister of State for Trade. He joined Churchill's Cabinet in July 1954 succeeding Sir Thomas Dugdale as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries (continuing his responsibilities as Minister of State for Trade). In October 1954 these ministries merged under Heathcoat-Amory's leadership. The Hon. Gwilym Lloyd George later Viscount Tenby had previously been charged with Food ministerial affairs. He remained in this post until being appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1958, by Harold Macmillan, an office he held until 1960. A highlight of Amory's chancellorship was the raising of Bank Rate to 6% in June 1960, in an effort to cool the economy after the election the previous autumn.^[10]

He stood down from the House of Commons in 1960 and was raised to the peerage as Viscount Amory, of Tiverton in the County of Devon, on 1 September of that year.^[11] From 1965 to 1970, he was Governor (Company Chairman) of the Hudson's Bay Company, North America's oldest company (established by English royal charter in 1670). Viscount Amory was sworn of the Privy Council in 1953, appointed GCMG in 1961 and KG in 1968.^[12] He also received the degree of Hon. LLD (Exon) in 1959, before serving as Chancellor of Exeter University from 1972 to 1981.

Personal life[]

Heathcoat-Amory was an accomplished sailor, who had his yacht brought up the Thames to take him away after making Budget speeches when Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Civil Service Sailing Association continues to award the annual Heathcoat Amory Trophy (donated by Viscount Amory) for outstanding sailing achievements by its members.^{[citation needed]}

In 1972, Lord Amory succeeded his brother in the family baronetcy; he died unmarried in January 1981, aged 81. The viscountcy became extinct upon his death and his younger brother succeeded him as Sir William Heathcoat-Amory, 5th Baronet, DSO.

Heathcoat-Amory caused surprise by resigning from the government and from his seat in the House of Commons soon after the 1959 election. It is thought that this sudden retirement was due to the fact that a journalist from the Daily Express, Bob Edwards, had entered in possession of 'extraordinary details of parties with teddy boys at Margate' attended by Heathcoat-Amory.^[13]

National honours[]

- KG
- Bt
- GCMG
- TD

References[]

^ G.M. Miller, BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (Oxford UP, 1971), p. 5.
^ The Complete Peerage Volume XIV, page 830
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b www.burkespeerage.com
^ "No. 32023". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 August 1920. p. 8561.
^ "No. 32750". The London Gazette. 26 September 1922. p. 6843.
^ "No. 33228". The London Gazette. 10 December 1926. p. 8103.
^ "No. 34207". The London Gazette. 11 October 1935. p. 6378.
^ "No. 39151". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1951. p. 910.
^ "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Tipperary South to Tyrone West". Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2010.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ Dell 1997, p256
^ "No. 42133". The London Gazette. 2 September 1960. p. 6019.
^ "No. 44571". The London Gazette. 23 April 1968. p. 4645.
^ Bloch, Michael (2015). Closet Queens. Little, Brown. p. 208. ISBN 1408704129.

External links[]

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Derick Heathcoat-Amory
Burke's Peerage

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gilbert Acland-Troyte	Member of Parliament for Tiverton 1945–1960	Succeeded by Robin Maxwell-Hyslop
Political offices
Preceded by George Isaacs	Minister of Pensions 1951–1953	Succeeded by Osbert Peake
New office	Minister of State for Trade 1953–1957	Succeeded by Derek Walker-Smith
Preceded by Sir Thomas Dugdale, Bt	Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries 1954	Succeeded by merged as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Preceded by merged as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries	Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1954–1958	Succeeded by Hon. John Hare
Preceded by Hon. Gwilym Lloyd George as Minister of Food	Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1954–1958	Succeeded by Hon. John Hare
Preceded by Peter Thorneycroft	Chancellor of the Exchequer 1958–1960	Succeeded by Selwyn Lloyd
Academic offices
Preceded by The Duchess of Devonshire	Chancellor of the University of Exeter 1972–1981	Succeeded by Sir Rex Richards
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Viscount Amory 1960–1981	Extinct
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by John Heathcoat-Amory	Baronet (of Knightshayes Court) 1972–1981	Succeeded by William Heathcoat-Amory

[1] G.M. Miller, BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (Oxford UP, 1971), p. 5.

[2] The Complete Peerage Volume XIV, page 830

[www.burkespeerage.com-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b www.burkespeerage.com

[4] "No. 32023". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 August 1920. p. 8561.

[5] "No. 32750". The London Gazette. 26 September 1922. p. 6843.

[6] "No. 33228". The London Gazette. 10 December 1926. p. 8103.

[7] "No. 34207". The London Gazette. 11 October 1935. p. 6378.

[8] "No. 39151". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1951. p. 910.

[9] "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Tipperary South to Tyrone West". Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2010.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[10] Dell 1997, p256

[11] "No. 42133". The London Gazette. 2 September 1960. p. 6019.

[12] "No. 44571". The London Gazette. 23 April 1968. p. 4645.

[13] Bloch, Michael (2015). Closet Queens. Little, Brown. p. 208. ISBN 1408704129.

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Italic: Interim Chancellor of the Exchequer, as Lord Chief Justice

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Ministers of Social Insurance/National Insurance	Jowitt Hore-Belisha Griffiths Summerskill Peake
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