Clement Attlee

Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee KG OM CH PC FRS (3 January 1883 – 8 October 1967) was a British politician. Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951, he was the first Labour prime minister with a majority in government, and was very important in the setting up of the welfare state. He was made a member of the House of Lords after he retired, and became the first Earl Attlee.

Major, The Right Honourable The Earl Attlee KG OM CH PC FRS
Clement Attlee, around 1945
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 26 July 1945 – 26 October 1951
Monarch	George VI
Deputy	Herbert Morrison
Preceded by	Winston Churchill
Succeeded by	Winston Churchill
Leader of the Opposition
In office 26 October 1951 – 25 November 1955
Monarch	George VI Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill Sir Anthony Eden
Preceded by	Winston Churchill
Succeeded by	Herbert Morrison
In office 23 May 1945 – 26 July 1945
Monarch	George VI
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill
Preceded by	Arthur Greenwood
Succeeded by	Winston Churchill
In office 25 October 1935 – 11 May 1940
Monarch	George V Edward VIII George VI
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by	George Lansbury
Succeeded by	Hastings Lees-Smith
Leader of the Labour Party
In office 25 October 1935 – 7 December 1955
Deputy	Arthur Greenwood Herbert Morrison
Preceded by	George Lansbury
Succeeded by	Hugh Gaitskell
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
In office 25 October 1932 – 25 October 1935
Leader	George Lansbury
Preceded by	J. R. Clynes
Succeeded by	Arthur Greenwood
Personal details
Born	Clement Richard Attlee (1883-01-03)3 January 1883 Putney, Surrey, England
Died	8 October 1967(1967-10-08) (aged 84) Westminster, London, England
Resting place	Westminster Abbey
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Violet Millar ​ ​ (m. 1922; died 1964)​
Children	4, including Martin, 2nd Earl Attlee
Alma mater	University College, Oxford
Occupation	Lawyer politician soldier
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1914–1919
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	First World War Gallipoli campaign Mesopotamian campaign Western Front
Awards	1914–15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal
Wartime ministerial offices Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom In office 19 February 1942 – 23 May 1945 Prime Minister Winston Churchill Preceded by Office created Succeeded by Herbert Morrison Lord President of the Council In office 24 September 1943 – 23 May 1945 Prime Minister Winston Churchill Preceded by Sir John Anderson Succeeded by The Lord Woolton Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs In office 15 February 1942 – 24 September 1943 Prime Minister Winston Churchill Preceded by The Viscount Cranborne Succeeded by The Viscount Cranborne Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal In office 11 May 1940 – 15 February 1942 Prime Minister Winston Churchill Preceded by Sir Kingsley Wood Succeeded by Sir Stafford Cripps
Interwar ministerial offices Postmaster General In office 13 March 1931 – 25 August 1931 Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald Preceded by Hastings Lees-Smith Succeeded by William Ormsby-Gore Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster In office 23 May 1930 – 13 March 1931 Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald Preceded by Sir Oswald Mosley Succeeded by The Lord Ponsonby Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War In office 23 January 1924 – 4 November 1924 Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald Preceded by Wilfrid Ashley Succeeded by Richard Onslow
Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal Hereditary peerage 16 December 1955 – 8 October 1967 Preceded by Earldom created Succeeded by The 2nd Earl Attlee Member of Parliament for Walthamstow West In office 23 February 1950 – 16 December 1955 Preceded by Valentine McEntee Succeeded by Edward Redhead Member of Parliament for Limehouse In office 15 November 1922 – 3 February 1950 Preceded by Sir William Pearce Succeeded by Constituency abolished

Attlee died of pneumonia in 1967. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Early life and education

Attlee was born in Putney. Attlee was educated at Haileybury College. He graduated from University College, Oxford with a Second Class Honours BA in Modern History in 1904.

Career

Attlee began a career as a barrister after graduating from Oxford. This lasted for two years. He then worked as manager of Haileybury House in East London. Attlee's work at the House inspired him to become a socialist. In 1907 he joined the Fabian Society. In 1908 he joined the Independent Labour Party. In 1911, he was employed by the UK Government. In 1919 Attlee became Mayor of Stepney. He was elected to Parliament in 1922 as the MP for Limehouse., In 1935 he was elected leader of the Labour Party. From 1942 to 1945 he was deputy prime minister. Attlee resigned as party leader after Labour lost the 1955 election. He was made a member of the Order of Merit in 1951 and a Knight of the Garter in 1956. In 1958 he started the Homosexual Reform Society with Bertrand Russell.