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| Terms of Office: | May, 1923 - January, 1924 November, 1924 - June, 1929 May, 1935 - May, 1937 | |
| PM Predecessors: | Andrew Bonar Law Ramsay MacDonald | |
| PM Successors: | Ramsay MacDonald Neville Chamberlain | |
| Date of Birth: | 3 August 1867 | |
| Place of Birth: | Bewdley, Worcestershire | |
| Political Party: | Conservative | |
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (August 3, 1867 - December 14, 1947) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on three separate occasions.
Born at Bewdley in Worcestershire he was educated at Harrow and Cambridge, and went into the family business. In 1908 he succeeded his deceased father as Conservative MP for Bewdley. 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 peusdonym 'FST'. In 1921 he was promoted to the Cabinet as President of the Board of Trade in 1921.
In late 1922 disatisfaction 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.
In May 1923 it was discovered that Bonar Law was dying of cancer and he retired immediately. Due to many of the party's leading figures standing aloof from the government there were only two candidates to succeed him - Lord Curzon the Foreign Secretary and Baldwin. The choice formally fell to King George V acting on the advice of senior ministers and officials. It is not entirely clear what factors were the most crucial, but many felt that Curzon was unsuitable to be Prime Minister, due to his being a member of the House of Lords (though this did nor stop other Lords being seriously considered for the premeirship on subsequent occassions), his personal character which many found objectional and his coming from a rich background at a time when the Conservative Party was seeking to appeal to a more meritocratic support base. As a result Baldwin was appointed Prime Minister. Initially he also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer whilst he sought to recruit the former Liberal Chancellor Reginald McKenna to join the government but when this failed he instead appointed Neville Chamberlain.
The Conservatives had a clear majority in the House of Commons and could govern for another four years before the need for a new general election, but Baldwin felt bound by a pledge given by Bonar Law at the previous election that there would be no introduction of tariffs without a further election. With the country facing growing unemployment due to cheap imports he decided to call an early general election in December 1923 to seek a mandate to introduce Protection. Although this succeeded in reuniting his divided party, the election produced an inconclusive outcome. The Conservatives won 258 MPs, the Labour Party 191 and the Liberals 159. Whilst the Conservatives were the largest party they had been clearly defeated on the central issue of the election. Baldwin remained Prime Minister until the opening session of the new Parliament in January 1924 when the government was defeated on a confidence vote and he resigned immediately.
For the next ten months a minority Labour government was in office but it too fell and a further general election was held in October 1924. This election resulted in a landslide majority of 223 for the Conservatives, primarily at the expense of the Liberals who lost ground due to a depleted organisation and limited funds. Baldwin became Prime Minister again and remained in office until 1929. This period included the General Strike of 1926, a crisis which the government managed to weather, despite the havoc it caused nationally. In 1931 he and the Conservatives entered into a coalition with Labour Party Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald. This decision led to MacDonald's expulsion from his own party, and Baldwin, as Lord President of the Council became de facto Prime Minister for the increasingly senile MacDonald over the next four years, when he, once again, became Prime Minister. During his third term of office, in 1935 - 1937, his foreign policy was much criticised, and he also faced the problem of the abdication of King Edward VIII. With this successfully achieved he retired after the coronation of the new King George VI and was created Earl Baldwin of Bewdley.
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2 Stanley Baldwin's Second Cabinet, November 1924 - June 1929 3 Stanley Baldwin's Third Cabinet, May 1935 - May 1937 |
Stanley Baldwin's First Government, May 1923 - January 1924
Changes
Stanley Baldwin's Second Cabinet, November 1924 - June 1929
Changes
Stanley Baldwin's Third Cabinet, May 1935 - May 1937
Changes
Preceded by:
Sir Robert Horne
'''President of the Board of Trade
(1921-1922)
Sir Philip Lloyd-Greame
Preceded by:
Sir Robert Horne
Chancellor of the Exchequer
(1922-23)
Followed by:
Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by:
Andrew Bonar Law
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
First term (1923-24)
Followed by:
Ramsay MacDonald
Preceded by:
Ramsay MacDonald
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Second term (1924-29)
Followed by:
Ramsay MacDonald
Preceded by:
Lord Parmoor
Lord President of the Council
(1931-1935)
Followed by:
Ramsay MacDonald
Prededed by:
Lord Snowden
Lord Privy Seal
(1932-1934)
Followed by:
Anthony Eden
Preceded by:
Ramsay MacDonald
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Third term (1935-37)
Followed by:
Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by:
New Creation
Earl Baldwin
Followed by:
Oliver Baldwin