National Government (1935–1937)

National Government

3rd National Government of the United Kingdom
1935–1937
photograph
Stanley Baldwin
Date formed7 June 1935 (1935-06-07)
Date dissolved28 May 1937 (1937-05-28)
People and organisations
Monarch
Prime MinisterStanley Baldwin
Total no. of members109 appointments
Member parties
Status in legislatureMajority (coalition)
428 / 615 (70%)



Opposition partyLabour Party
Opposition leaders
History
Election1935 general election
Legislature terms
PredecessorSecond National Government
SuccessorFourth National Government

The National Government of 1935–1937 was formed by Stanley Baldwin on his reappointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by King George V, following the resignation of Ramsay MacDonald in June 1935.

As a National Government it contained members of the Conservative Party, Liberal Nationals and National Labour, as well as a number of individuals who belonged to no political party. The Government oversaw the Edward VIII abdication crisis and three monarchs in 1936. In May 1937, Baldwin resigned and was replaced as prime minister by Neville Chamberlain.

Cabinet

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Stanley Baldwin was the serving prime minister

1935–1937

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Office Name Term
Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin 1935–1937
Lord President of the Council Ramsay MacDonald 1935–1937
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain The Viscount Hailsham 1935–1937
Leader of the House of Lords
Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal		 The Marquess of Londonderry 1935
The Viscount Halifax 1935–1937
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Sir Samuel Hoare 1935
Anthony Eden 1935–1937
Secretary of State for the Home Department Sir John Simon 1935–1937
Secretary of State for the Colonies Malcolm MacDonald 1935
James Henry Thomas 1935–1936
William Ormsby-Gore 1936–1937
Secretary of State for War The Viscount Halifax 1935
Duff Cooper 1935–1937
Secretary of State for India The Marquess of Zetland 1935–1937
Secretary of State for Air The Viscount Swinton 1935–1937
Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs James Henry Thomas 1935
Malcolm MacDonald 1935–1937
Secretary of State for Scotland Sir Godfrey Collins 1935–1936
Walter Elliot 1936–1937
Chancellor of the Exchequer Neville Chamberlain 1935–1937
Minister without Portfolio Anthony Eden 1935
Minister without Portfolio Lord Eustace Percy 1935–1936
First Lord of the Admiralty Bolton Eyres-Monsell (from November 1935 as The Viscount Monsell) 1935–1936
Sir Samuel Hoare 1936–1937
President of the Board of Trade Walter Runciman 1935–1937
Minister of Health Sir Kingsley Wood 1935–1937
President of the Board of Education Oliver Stanley 1935–1937

Notes

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  • Anthony Eden served as Minister without Portfolio, with specific responsibility for League of Nations Affairs (and was often referred to as "Minister for League of Nations Affairs) for approximately six months; during this time, he enjoyed equal status with the Foreign Secretary (Sir Samuel Hoare) and sat in the cabinet.

List of ministers

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Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.

Office Name Party Dates Notes
Prime Minister,
First Lord of the Treasury
and Leader of the House of Commons 		Stanley Baldwin Conservative 7 June 1935
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain The Viscount Hailsham Conservative 7 June 1935
Lord President of the Council Ramsay MacDonald National Labour 7 June 1935
Leader of the House of Lords
Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 		The Marquess of Londonderry Conservative 7 June 1935
The Viscount Halifax Conservative 22 November 1935
Chancellor of the Exchequer Neville Chamberlain Conservative 7 June 1935
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury David Margesson Conservative 18 June 1935
Financial Secretary to the Treasury Duff Cooper Conservative 18 June 1935
William Morrison Conservative 22 November 1935
John Colville Conservative 29 October 1936
Lords of the Treasury James Stuart Conservative 18 June 1935 – May 1937
Archibald Southby Conservative 18 June 1935 – 28 May 1937 Knighted
Sir Walter Womersley Conservative 18 June 1935 – 6 December 1935
George Frederick Davies Conservative 18 June 1935 – 6 December 1935
James Blindell Liberal National 18 June 1935 – 28 May 1937 Knighted
Arthur Hope Conservative 6 December 1935 – 28 May 1937
Henry Morris-Jones Liberal National 6 December 1935 – 28 May 1937
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Sir Samuel Hoare, Bt Conservative 7 June 1935
Anthony Eden Conservative 22 December 1935
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs The Earl Stanhope Conservative 18 June 1935 – 16 June 1936
Viscount Cranborne Conservative 6 August 1935 – May 1937
The Earl of Plymouth Conservative 30 July 1936 – May 1937
Secretary of State for the Home Department
and Deputy Leader of the House of Commons 		Sir John Simon Liberal National 7 June 1935
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department Euan Wallace Conservative 18 June 1935
Geoffrey Lloyd Conservative 28 November 1935
First Lord of the Admiralty Sir Bolton Eyres-Monsell Conservative 7 June 1935
Sir Samuel Hoare, Bt Conservative 5 June 1936
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty Sir Victor Warrender Conservative 18 June 1935
Lord Stanley Conservative 28 November 1935
Civil Lord of the Admiralty Kenneth Lindsay National Labour 18 June 1935
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Walter Elliot Unionist 7 June 1935
William Morrison Conservative 29 October 1936
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries The Earl De La Warr National Labour 18 June 1935
Herwald Ramsbotham Conservative 28 November 1935
The Earl of Feversham Conservative 30 July 1936 also Deputy Minister of Fisheries
Secretary of State for Air The Viscount Swinton Conservative 7 June 1935
Under-Secretary of State for Air Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt Conservative 18 June 1935
Secretary of State for the Colonies Malcolm MacDonald National Labour 7 June 1935
James Henry Thomas National Labour 22 November 1935
Hon. William Ormsby-Gore Conservative 28 May 1936
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies The Earl of Plymouth Conservative 18 June 1935
The Earl De La Warr National Labour 30 July 1936
Minister for Coordination of Defence Sir Thomas Inskip Conservative 13 March 1936
Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs James Henry Thomas National Labour 7 June 1935
Malcolm MacDonald National Labour 22 November 1935
Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs Lord Stanley Conservative 18 June 1935
Douglas Hacking Conservative 28 November 1935
Marquess of Hartington Conservative 4 March 1936 Duke of Devonshire
President of the Board of Education Oliver Stanley Conservative 7 June 1935
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education Herwald Ramsbotham Conservative 18 June 1935
Earl De La Warr National Labour 28 November 1935
Geoffrey Shakespeare Liberal National 30 July 1936
Minister of Health Sir Kingsley Wood Conservative 7 June 1935
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health Geoffrey Shakespeare Liberal National 18 June 1935
Robert Hudson Conservative 30 July 1936
Secretary of State for India The Marquess of Zetland Conservative 7 June 1935 For India and Burma from 1937
Under-Secretary of State for India R. A. Butler Conservative 18 June 1935
Minister of Labour Ernest Brown Liberal National 7 June 1935
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour Anthony Muirhead Conservative 18 June 1935
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Sir J. C. C. Davidson Conservative 18 June 1935
Paymaster General The Lord Rochester National Labour 18 June 1935
The Lord Hutchison of Montrose Liberal National 6 December 1935
Minister for Pensions Robert Hudson Conservative 18 June 1935
Herwald Ramsbotham Conservative 30 July 1936
Minister without Portfolio Anthony Eden Conservative 7 June 1935 – 22 December 1935 "Minister for League of Nations Affairs"
Lord Eustace Percy Conservative 7 June 1935 – 31 March 1936
Postmaster-General George Tryon Conservative 7 June 1935
Assistant Postmaster-General Sir Ernest Bennett National Labour 18 June 1935
Sir Walter Womersley Conservative 6 December 1935
Secretary of State for Scotland Sir Godfrey Collins Liberal National 7 June 1935
Walter Elliot Unionist 29 October 1936
Under-Secretary of State for Scotland Noel Skelton Unionist 18 June 1935
John Colville Conservative 28 November 1935
Henry Wedderburn Conservative 29 October 1936
President of the Board of Trade Walter Runciman Liberal National 7 June 1935
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade Leslie Burgin Liberal National 18 June 1935
Secretary for Overseas Trade John Colville Conservative 18 June 1935
Euan Wallace Conservative 28 November 1935
Secretary for Mines Harry Crookshank Conservative 18 June 1935
Minister of Transport Leslie Hore-Belisha Liberal National 18 June 1935 In Cabinet from 29 October 1936
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport Austin Hudson Conservative 18 June 1935
Secretary of State for War The Viscount Halifax Conservative 7 June 1935
Duff Cooper Conservative 22 November 1935
Under-Secretary of State for War The Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal Conservative 18 June 1935
Financial Secretary to the War Office Douglas Hacking Conservative 18 June 1935
Sir Victor Warrender Conservative 28 November 1935
First Commissioner of Works William Ormsby-Gore Conservative 7 June 1935
The Earl Stanhope Conservative 16 June 1936
Attorney General Sir Thomas Inskip Conservative 18 June 1935
Sir Donald Somervell Conservative 18 March 1936
Solicitor General Sir Donald Somervell Conservative 18 June 1935
Sir Terence O'Connor Conservative 19 March 1936
Lord Advocate Douglas Jamieson Unionist 18 June 1935
Thomas Cooper Unionist 25 October 1935
Solicitor General for Scotland Thomas Cooper Unionist 18 June 1935
Albert Russell Unionist 29 November 1935
James Reid Unionist 25 June 1936
Treasurer of the Household Sir Frederick Penny Conservative 18 June 1935
Comptroller of the Household Sir George Bowyer Conservative 21 June 1935
Sir Lambert Ward Conservative 6 December 1935
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household Sir Lambert Ward Conservative 18 June 1935
George Davies Conservative 6 December 1935
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms The Earl of Lucan Conservative 18 June 1935
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard The Lord Templemore Conservative 18 June 1935
Lords in Waiting The Viscount Gage Conservative 18 June 1935 – May 1937
The Earl of Munster Conservative 18 June 1935 – May 1937
The Earl of Feversham Conservative 18 June 1935 – 30 July 1936
The Marquess of Dufferin and Ava Conservative 29 October 1936 – 28 May 1937
The Earl Erne Conservative 29 October 1936 – May 1937

References

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  • Butler, David, and G. Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000
  • Hyde, H. Montgomery. Baldwin: The Unexpected Prime Minister (1973)
  • Jenkins, Roy. Baldwin (1987) excerpt and text search
  • Mowat, Charles Loch. Britain Between the Wars, 1918–1940 (1955). online pp 413–79
  • Raymond, John, ed. The Baldwin Age (1960), essays by scholars 252 pages; online
  • Smart, Nick. The National Government. 1931–40 (Macmillan 1999) ISBN 0-333-69131-8
  • Taylor, A.J.P. English History 1914–1945 (1965) pp 321–88
  • Thorpe, Andrew. Britain in the 1930s. The Deceptive Decade, (Oxford: Blackwell, 1992). ISBN 0-631-17411-7
Preceded by Government of the United Kingdom
1935–1937 		Succeeded by
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