Secretary of State for War

Secretary of State for War
Royal Arms as used by Her Majesty's Government
War Office
Member of	British Cabinet Privy Council
Seat	Westminster, London
Appointer	The British Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	No fixed term
Formation	11 July 1794
First holder	Henry Dundas
Final holder	James Ramsden
Abolished	1 April 1964
Deputy	Under-Secretary of State for War

Edward Cardwell, later Viscount Cardwell, Secretary of State for War from 1868 to 1874; architect of the Cardwell Reforms

The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and was assisted by a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War, a Parliamentary Private Secretary who was also a Member of Parliament (MP), and a Military Secretary, who was a general.

In the nineteenth century the post was twice held by future prime minister Henry Campbell-Bannerman. At the outset of the First World War, prime minister H. H. Asquith was filling the role, but he quickly appointed Lord Kitchener, who became famous while in this position for Lord Kitchener Wants You. He was replaced by David Lloyd George, who went on to become prime minister. Between the World Wars, the post was held by future prime minister Winston Churchill for two years. In the 1960s, John Profumo was filling this post at the time of the Profumo affair.

History[]

The position of Secretary of State for War was first held by Henry Dundas who was appointed in 1794. In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position of Secretary of State for War was re-instated in 1854. In 1946, the three posts of Secretary of State for War, First Lord of the Admiralty, and Secretary of State for Air became formally subordinated to that of Minister of Defence, which had itself been created in 1940 for the co-ordination of defence and security issues.

On 1 April 1964, with the creation of a new united Ministry of Defence headed by the Secretary of State for Defence, the three service ministries as well as the post of Minister of Defence as created in 1940 were abolished.

Secretaries of State for War, 1794–1801[]

Name		Portrait	Term of office		Time in office	Political party	Prime Minister
	Henry Dundas (also President of the Board of Control)		11 July 1794	17 March 1801	6 years, 8 months and 6 days	Tory		William Pitt the Younger

For 1801–1854 see Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.

Secretaries of State for War, 1854–1964[]

Name		Portrait	Term of office		Time in office	Political party	Prime Minister
	The Duke of Newcastle		12 June 1854	30 January 1855	7 months and 18 days	Peelite		Earl of Aberdeen (Coalition)
	The Lord Panmure		8 February 1855	21 February 1858	3 years and 13 days	Whig		Earl of Derby
	Jonathan Peel		26 February 1858	11 June 1859	1 year, 3 months and 16 days	Conservative
	Sidney Herbert		18 June 1859	22 July 1861	2 years, 1 month and 4 days	Liberal		Viscount Palmerston
	Sir George Cornewall Lewis, Bt		23 July 1861	13 April 1863	1 year, 8 months and 21 days	Liberal
	The Earl de Grey and Ripon		28 April 1863	16 February 1866	2 years, 9 months and 19 days	Liberal
								Earl Russell
	Marquess of Hartington		16 February 1866	26 June 1866	4 months and 10 days	Liberal
	Jonathan Peel		6 July 1866	8 March 1867	8 months and 2 days	Conservative		14th Earl of Derby
	Sir John Pakington, Bt		8 March 1867	1 December 1868	1 year, 8 months and 23 days	Conservative
								Benjamin Disraeli
	Edward Cardwell		9 December 1868	17 February 1874	5 years, 2 months and 8 days	Liberal		William Ewart Gladstone
	Gathorne Hardy		21 February 1874	2 April 1878	4 years, 1 month and 12 days	Conservative		Benjamin Disraeli
	Frederick Stanley		2 April 1878	21 April 1880	2 years and 19 days	Conservative
	Hugh Childers		28 April 1880	16 December 1882	2 years, 7 months and 18 days	Liberal		William Ewart Gladstone
	Marquess of Hartington		16 December 1882	9 June 1885	2 years, 5 months and 24 days	Liberal
	W. H. Smith		24 June 1885	21 January 1886	6 months and 28 days	Conservative		Marquess of Salisbury
	The Viscount Cranbrook		21 January 1886	6 February 1886	16 days	Conservative
	Henry Campbell-Bannerman		6 February 1886	20 July 1886	5 months and 14 days	Liberal		William Ewart Gladstone
	W. H. Smith		3 August 1886	14 January 1887	5 months and 11 days	Conservative		Marquess of Salisbury
	Edward Stanhope		14 January 1887	11 August 1892	5 years, 6 months and 28 days	Conservative
	Henry Campbell-Bannerman		18 August 1892	21 June 1895	2 years, 10 months and 3 days	Liberal		William Ewart Gladstone
								Earl of Rosebery
	The Marquess of Lansdowne		4 July 1895	12 November 1900	5 years, 4 months and 8 days	Liberal Unionist		Marquess of Salisbury (Unionist Coalition)
	St John Brodrick		12 November 1900	6 October 1903	2 years, 10 months and 24 days	Irish Unionist
								Arthur Balfour (Unionist Coalition)
	H. O. Arnold-Forster		6 October 1903	4 December 1905	2 years, 1 month and 28 days	Liberal Unionist
	Richard Haldane (Viscount Haldane from 1911)		10 December 1905	12 June 1912	6 years, 6 months and 2 days	Liberal		Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
								H. H. Asquith
	J. E. B. Seely		12 June 1912	30 March 1914	1 year, 9 months and 18 days	Liberal
	H. H. Asquith (while Prime Minister)		30 March 1914	5 August 1914	4 months and 6 days	Liberal
	The Earl Kitchener		5 August 1914	5 June 1916	1 year and 10 months	none
								H. H. Asquith (Coalition)
	David Lloyd George		6 July[1] 1916	5 December 1916	4 months and 29 days	Liberal
	The Earl of Derby		10 December 1916	18 April 1918	1 year, 4 months and 8 days	Conservative		David Lloyd George (Coalition)
	The Viscount Milner		18 April 1918	10 January 1919	8 months and 23 days	Conservative
	Winston Churchill		10 January 1919	13 February 1921	2 years, 1 month and 3 days	Liberal
	Sir Laming Worthington-Evans, Bt		13 February 1921	19 October 1922	1 year, 8 months and 6 days	Conservative
	The Earl of Derby		24 October 1922	22 January 1924	1 year, 2 months and 29 days	Conservative		Bonar Law
								Stanley Baldwin
	Stephen Walsh		22 January 1924	3 November 1924	9 months and 12 days	Labour		Ramsay MacDonald
	Sir Laming Worthington-Evans, Bt		6 November 1924	4 June 1929	4 years, 6 months and 29 days	Conservative		Stanley Baldwin
	Thomas Shaw		7 June 1929	24 August 1931	2 years, 2 months and 17 days	Labour		Ramsay MacDonald
	The Marquess of Crewe		25 August 1931	5 November 1931	2 months and 11 days	Liberal		Ramsay MacDonald (1st National Min.)
	The Viscount Hailsham		5 November 1931	7 June 1935	3 years, 7 months and 2 days	Conservative		Ramsay MacDonald (2nd National Min.)
	The Viscount Halifax		7 June 1935	22 November 1935	5 months and 15 days	Conservative		Stanley Baldwin (3rd National Min.)
	Duff Cooper		22 November 1935	28 May 1937	1 year, 6 months and 6 days	Conservative
	Leslie Hore-Belisha		28 May 1937	5 January 1940	2 years, 7 months and 8 days	National Liberal		Neville Chamberlain (4th National Min.; War Coalition)
	Oliver Stanley		5 January 1940	11 May 1940	4 months and 6 days	Conservative
	Anthony Eden		11 May 1940	22 December 1940	7 months and 11 days	Conservative	P.M.		Min.Defence
								Winston Churchill (War Coalition)
	David Margesson		22 December 1940	22 February 1942	1 year and 2 months	Conservative
	Sir P. J. Grigg		22 February 1942	26 July 1945	3 years, 5 months and 4 days	National
	Jack Lawson		3 August 1945	4 October 1946	1 year, 2 months and 1 day	Labour		Attlee	Attlee
	Frederick Bellenger		4 October 1946	7 October 1947	1 year and 3 days	Labour			A.V. Alexander
	Emanuel Shinwell		7 October 1947	28 February 1950	2 years, 4 months and 21 days	Labour
	John Strachey		28 February 1950	26 October 1951	1 year, 7 months and 28 days	Labour			Shinwell
	Antony Head		31 October 1951	18 October 1956	4 years, 11 months and 18 days	Conservative		Churchill	Churchill
									H. Alexander
									Macmillan
								Eden	Lloyd
									Monckton
	John Hare		18 October 1956	6 January 1958	1 year, 2 months and 19 days	Conservative			Head
								Macmillan	Sandys
	Christopher Soames		6 January 1958	27 July 1960	2 years, 6 months and 21 days	Conservative
									Watkinson
	John Profumo		27 July 1960	5 June 1963	2 years, 10 months and 9 days	Conservative
									Thorneycroft
	Joseph Godber		27 June 1963	21 October 1963	3 months and 24 days	Conservative
	James Ramsden		21 October 1963	1 April 1964	5 months and 11 days	Conservative		Douglas-Home

See also[]

• Secretary at War

References[]

External links[]

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