Harold Macmillan

Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986), was a Conservative statesman. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963.

The Right Honourable The Earl of Stockton OM PC FRS
Official portrait, 1959
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 10 January 1957 – 18 October 1963
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Deputy	Rab Butler (1962–63)
Preceded by	Sir Anthony Eden
Succeeded by	Sir Alec Douglas-Home
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office 10 January 1957 – 18 October 1963
Preceded by	Sir Anthony Eden
Succeeded by	Sir Alec Douglas-Home
Personal details
Born	Maurice Harold Macmillan (1894-02-10)10 February 1894 Belgravia, London, England
Died	29 December 1986(1986-12-29) (aged 92) Chelwood Gate, East Sussex, England
Resting place	St Giles' Church, Horsted Keynes
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Lady Dorothy Cavendish (m. 1920; died 1966)
Children	4, including Maurice and Caroline
Alma mater	Balliol College, Oxford
Occupation	Publisher politician
Civilian awards	Order of Merit (1976) Peerage (1984)
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1914–1920
Rank	Captain
Unit	Grenadier Guards
Battles/wars	First World War Battle of Loos Battle of the Somme
Military awards	Victory Medal British War Medal
Ministerial offices Chancellor of the Exchequer In office 20 December 1955 – 13 January 1957 Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden Preceded by Rab Butler Succeeded by Peter Thorneycroft Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs In office 7 April 1955 – 20 December 1955 Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden Preceded by Sir Anthony Eden Succeeded by Selwyn Lloyd Minister of Defence In office 19 October 1954 – 7 April 1955 Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill Preceded by The Earl Alexander of Tunis Succeeded by Selwyn Lloyd Minister of Housing and Local Government In office 30 October 1951 – 19 October 1954 Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill Preceded by Hugh Dalton Succeeded by Duncan Sandys Secretary of State for Air In office 25 May 1945 – 26 July 1945 Prime Minister Winston Churchill Preceded by Sir Archibald Sinclair Succeeded by The Viscount Stansgate Minister Resident in Northwest Africa In office 30 December 1942 – 25 May 1945 Prime Minister Winston Churchill Preceded by New post Succeeded by Harold Balfour Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies In office 4 February 1942 – 30 December 1942 Prime Minister Winston Churchill Preceded by George Hall Succeeded by The Duke of Devonshire Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Supply In office 15 May 1940 – 4 February 1942 Prime Minister Winston Churchill Preceded by John Llewellin Succeeded by The Viscount Portal
Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal In office 24 February 1984 – 29 December 1986 Hereditary Peerage Preceded by Earldom created Succeeded by The 2nd Earl of Stockton Member of Parliament for Bromley In office 14 November 1945 – 25 September 1964 Preceded by Sir Edward Campbell Succeeded by John Hunt Member of Parliament for Stockton-on-Tees In office 28 October 1931 – 15 June 1945 Preceded by Frederick Fox Riley Succeeded by George Chetwynd In office 30 October 1924 – 10 May 1929 Preceded by Robert Strother Stewart Succeeded by Frederick Fox Riley

Macmillan served in the Grenadier Guards during the First World War. After the war he joined his family publishing company, then entered Parliament at the 1924 general election. After losing his seat in 1929, he regained it in 1931.

During World War II, Churchill made Macmillan Minister Resident in the Mediterranean. This made him the go-between for Churchill and the British forces in North Africa and the Middle East. The Mediterranean was a major theatre of war, and Macmillan's work made his name as a serious politician.

Macmillan became Foreign Secretary and then Chancellor of the Exchequer under Churchill's successor Sir Anthony Eden. When Eden resigned in 1957 after the Suez Crisis, Macmillan succeeded him as Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party.[1]

Macmillan presided over a country becoming more affluent (rich), with low unemployment and high (but uneven) economic growth. In his Bedford speech of July 1957 he told the nation they had 'never had it so good'.[2]