David Eccles, 1st Viscount Eccles
Encyclopedia
David McAdam Eccles, 1st Baron Eccles and 1st Viscount Eccles, CH
, KCVO
, MP
, PC
(18 September 1904 – 24 February 1999) was an English
Conservative
politician
.
Eccles was educated at Winchester College
and New College, Oxford
. He worked with the Central Mining Corporation in London
and Johannesburg
. During the Second World War he worked for the Ministry of Economic Warfare from 1939 to 1940 and for the Ministry of Production from 1942 to 1943 and was Economic Adviser to the British ambassador
s at Lisbon
and Madrid
from 1940 to 1942.
Eccles was elected as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Chippenham
in a wartime by-election
in 1943, a seat he held until 1962. He served in the Conservative administrations of Churchill
, Eden
and Macmillan
respectively as Minister of Works from 1951 to 1954 (in which position, he helped organise the 1953 Coronation
), as Minister of Education from 1954 to 1957 and again from 1959 to 1962 and as President of the Board of Trade from 1957 to 1959. Eccles was also President of the Board of Trade in January 1957.
In 1962 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Eccles, of Chute in the County of Wiltshire
, and in 1964 he was created Viscount Eccles, of Chute in the County of Wiltshire. Lord Eccles returned to the government in 1970 when Edward Heath
appointed him Paymaster-General
and Minister for the Arts, a post he held until 1973. As Minister for the Arts he clashed with the Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arnold Goodman over the funding of controversial plays and exhibitions and introduced mandatory admission charges at public museums and galleries. Lord Eccles was made a Doctor of Science
(DSc) in 1966 by Loughborough University
.
Eccles married, firstly, the Hon. Sybil Frances Dawson (1904–1977), daughter of Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn
, on 1 October 1929. They had three children:
Widowed, he married again, this time to the book collector and philanthropist Mary Morley Crapo Hyde
(1912–2003) on 26 September 1984.
He died at age 94 at home of natural causes leaving an estate of approximately £2.4 million.
Order of the Companions of Honour
The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V in June 1917, as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion....
, KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, PC
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
(18 September 1904 – 24 February 1999) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Eccles was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
. He worked with the Central Mining Corporation in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. During the Second World War he worked for the Ministry of Economic Warfare from 1939 to 1940 and for the Ministry of Production from 1942 to 1943 and was Economic Adviser to the British ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
s at Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
from 1940 to 1942.
Eccles was elected as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Chippenham
Chippenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Chippenham is a parliamentary constituency, abolished in 1983 but recreated in 2010, and represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
in a wartime by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in 1943, a seat he held until 1962. He served in the Conservative administrations of Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
and Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
respectively as Minister of Works from 1951 to 1954 (in which position, he helped organise the 1953 Coronation
Coronation of the British monarch
The coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia...
), as Minister of Education from 1954 to 1957 and again from 1959 to 1962 and as President of the Board of Trade from 1957 to 1959. Eccles was also President of the Board of Trade in January 1957.
In 1962 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Eccles, of Chute in the County of Wiltshire
Chute, Wiltshire
Chute is a civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It includes the main village of Upper Chute and the smaller settlements of Lower Chute, Chute Standen, Chute Cadley and Chute Forest....
, and in 1964 he was created Viscount Eccles, of Chute in the County of Wiltshire. Lord Eccles returned to the government in 1970 when Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
appointed him Paymaster-General
Paymaster-General
HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom. The Paymaster General is in charge of the Office of HM Paymaster General , which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of Government departments and selected other public bodies...
and Minister for the Arts, a post he held until 1973. As Minister for the Arts he clashed with the Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
Arnold Goodman over the funding of controversial plays and exhibitions and introduced mandatory admission charges at public museums and galleries. Lord Eccles was made a Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
(DSc) in 1966 by Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
.
Eccles married, firstly, the Hon. Sybil Frances Dawson (1904–1977), daughter of Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn
Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn
Bertrand Edward Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn, GCVO, KCB, KCMG, PC, FRCP was a physician to the British Royal Family and President of the Royal College of Physicians.-Early life and education:...
, on 1 October 1929. They had three children:
- The Hon. Selina Eccles; m. George Petty-FitzMaurice, 8th Marquess of LansdowneGeorge Petty-FitzMaurice, 8th Marquess of LansdowneGeorge John Charles Mercer Nairne Petty-Fitzmaurice, 8th Marquess of Lansdowne DL , known as George Petty-Fitzmaurice until 1944, was a British peer and Conservative politician.-Background:...
; became The Marchioness of Lansdowne - The Hon. Simon Dawson Eccles
- The Hon. John Dawson Eccles; later 2nd Viscount EcclesJohn Eccles, 2nd Viscount EcclesJohn Dawson Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles CBE is a British peer and businessman. He is one of the ninety hereditary peers elected to remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999....
(born on 20 April 1931)
Widowed, he married again, this time to the book collector and philanthropist Mary Morley Crapo Hyde
Mary, Viscountess Eccles
Mary Morley Crapo Hyde Eccles, Viscountess Eccles was a book collector and author. She was renowned for establishing one of the biggest private collections of 18th century literature with her first husband, Donald Hyde . This include works from Samuel Johnson and James Boswell...
(1912–2003) on 26 September 1984.
He died at age 94 at home of natural causes leaving an estate of approximately £2.4 million.
Styles and Honours
- Mr David Eccles (1904–1943)
- Mr David Eccles MP (1943–1953)
- Sir David Eccles KCVO MP (1953–1962)
- The Rt. Hon. The Lord Eccles KCVO PC (1962–1964)
- The Rt. Hon. The Viscount Eccles KCVO PC (1964–1984)
- The Rt. Hon. The Viscount Eccles KCVO CH PC (1984–1999)