Alec Douglas-Home

Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC (/ˈhjuːm/ (listen); 2 July 1903 – 9 October 1995) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1964. He was better known as Alec Douglas-Home.

The Right Honourable The Lord Home of the Hirsel KT PC
Douglas-Home c. 1963
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 19 October 1963 – 16 October 1964
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Harold Macmillan
Succeeded by	Harold Wilson
Leader of the Opposition
In office 16 October 1964 – 28 July 1965
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Harold Wilson
Succeeded by	Edward Heath
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office 18 October 1963 – 28 July 1965
Preceded by	Harold Macmillan
Succeeded by	Edward Heath
Ministerial offices Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs In office 20 June 1970 – 4 March 1974 Prime Minister Edward Heath Preceded by Michael Stewart Succeeded by James Callaghan In office 27 July 1960 – 18 October 1963 Prime Minister Harold Macmillan Preceded by Selwyn Lloyd Succeeded by Rab Butler Lord President of the Council In office 14 October 1959 – 27 July 1960 Prime Minister Harold Macmillan Preceded by The Viscount Hailsham Succeeded by The Viscount Hailsham In office 29 March 1957 – 17 September 1957 Prime Minister Harold Macmillan Preceded by The Marquess of Salisbury Succeeded by The Viscount Hailsham Leader of the House of Lords In office 29 March 1957 – 27 July 1960 Prime Minister Harold Macmillan Preceded by The Marquess of Salisbury Succeeded by The Viscount Hailsham Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations In office 7 April 1955 – 27 July 1960 Preceded by The Viscount Swinton Succeeded by Duncan Sandys
Junior ministerial offices Minister of State for Scotland In office 2 November 1951 – 7 April 1955 Prime Minister Winston Churchill Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Thomas Galbraith Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs In office 26 May 1945 – 26 July 1945 Serving with The Lord Lovat Prime Minister Winston Churchill Preceded by George Hall Succeeded by Hector McNeil
Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal In office 24 December 1974 – 9 October 1995 Life Peerage In office 11 July 1951 – 23 October 1963 Hereditary Peerage Preceded by The 13th Earl of Home Succeeded by The 15th Earl of Home (1995) Member of Parliament for Kinross and Western Perthshire In office 8 November 1963 – 20 September 1974 Preceded by Gilmour Leburn Succeeded by Nicholas Fairbairn Member of Parliament for Lanark In office 23 February 1950 – 11 July 1951 Preceded by Tom Steele Succeeded by Patrick Maitland In office 27 October 1931 – 15 June 1945 Preceded by Thomas Dickson Succeeded by Tom Steele
Personal details
Born	Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home (1903-07-02)2 July 1903 Mayfair, London, England
Died	9 October 1995(1995-10-09) (aged 92) Coldstream, Scotland
Resting place	Lennel Churchyard, Coldstream
Political party	Conservative
Other political affiliations	Unionist
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Alington ​ ​ (m. 1936; died 1990)​
Children	4, including David
Parents	Charles Douglas-Home (father)
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford
Cricket information
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast-medium
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1924–1927	MCC Middlesex Oxford University
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 10 Runs scored 147 Batting average 16.33 100s/50s – Top score 37* Balls bowled – Wickets 12 Bowling average 30.25 5 wickets in innings – 10 wickets in match – Best bowling 3/43 Catches/stumpings 9/–
Source: Douglas-Home at ESPNcricinfo

Home was a Member of Parliament and a junior official (a Parliamentary Private Secretary) when Neville Chamberlain went to Munich to meet Adolf Hitler in 1938. He was present at the main meetings between Hitler and Chamberlain. Later in life, he was appointed by Harold Macmillan as Foreign Secretary in 1960–1963, and again in Edward Heath's government from 1970 to 1974.

Home's name and title changed a few times during his life. Born as Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, he became Lord Dunglass when his father became the Earl of Home. Dunglass is a junior title, that is, a lower title which is held by the eldest son. When his father died Alec became the 14th Earl of Home. He also became Baron Douglas in the peerage of the United Kingdom (that was also a junior title).

Leader of Party and Prime Minister

When he was chosen as Leader of the Conservative Party after Harold Macmillan retired, he knew it would be difficult to lead a government from the House of Lords. So he renounced his title, four days after becoming Prime Minister. Once he renounced the title, he became simply Sir Alec Douglas-Home. He had been made a Knight of the Thistle in 1962. Finally, after he lost the election of 1964, he was given a life peerage, titled 'Baron Home of the Hirsel'. That title is not hereditary but, after his death, his son became the 15th Earl of Home.

Rapidly, after the title was renounced, arrangements were made. The safe Conservative seat of Kinross and Western Perthshire was vacant, and Douglas-Home was adopted as his party's candidate. Parliament was due to meet on 24 October after the summer recess, but its return was postponed until 12 November pending the by-election. For twenty days Douglas-Home was Prime Minister while a member of neither house of Parliament, a situation without modern precedent. He won the by-election with a majority of 9,328.

Prime Minister 1963–1964

A former peer as Prime Minister was open to attack, and Douglas-Home was attacked by the Labour Party leader Harold Wilson. Wilson attacked the new prime minister as "an elegant anachronism". He said that nobody from Douglas-Home's background knew the problems of ordinary families. In particular, Wilson asked how "a scion of an effete establishment" could lead the technological revolution which was needed. His premiership was ended by the general election of 1964, which put in the Labour Party with Harold Wilson as Prime Minister.

Foreign Affairs 1970–1974

When the Conservatives returned to power in 1970, Home was made Foreign Secretary. He was a considerable success in this role. His speeches explained the world situation, which was then at the height of the Cold War.

Andrei Gromyko, Douglas-Home's Soviet counterpart

In east–west relations, Douglas-Home spoke against the Soviet Union and its spying activities in Britain. In September 1971 he expelled 105 Soviet diplomats, who were spying. Although this was an extraordinary incident, Gromyko was realistic enough to keep a working relationship with the British government. Within days of the expulsions from London he and Douglas-Home met and discussed the Middle East and disarmament.

Assessment

The Times considered that his reputation rested not on his brief premiership, but on his two spells as Foreign Secretary: "He brought to the office ... his capacity for straight talking, for toughness towards the Soviet Union and for firmness (sometimes interpreted as a lack of sympathy) towards the continents of Africa and Asia. But he brought something else as well: an unusual degree of international respect".