Douglas King (Conservative politician)
Encyclopedia
Commodore
Henry Douglas King CB
, CBE
, PC, DSO
, VD
(1 June 1877 – 20 August 1930), known as Douglas King, was a British naval commander and Conservative
politician. He served under Stanley Baldwin
as Financial Secretary to the War Office
between 1924 and 1928 and as Secretary for Mines
between 1928 and 1929.
before joining P & O
. He left the sea in 1899 and took up farming for a short while. However, he soon turned to studying law and was called to the Bar
, Middle Temple
, in 1905. He stood as the Conservative candidate for Norfolk North
in the two general elections of 1910, but was defeated on both occasions. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 he obtained a commission in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and served at the Siege of Antwerp
and Gallipoli. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
in recognition of his services at Gallipoli in 1915. He was also given the French Croix de Guerre
and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
in 1919.
and was this time elected. In parliament he initially served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Sir Leslie Wilson
, Chairman of the National Maritime Board, and then to Sir Hamar Greenwood
, the Chief Secretary for Ireland
. In 1921 he was appointed a Conservative whip
. The following year he was returned to parliament for Paddington South
and entered the government under Andrew Bonar Law
as a Lord of the Treasury
(government whip), a position he held until January 1924, the last year under the premiership of Stanley Baldwin
. When the Conservatives returned to office in November 1924, King was made Financial Secretary to the War Office
and a member of the Army Council. He held this post until 1928, and was then Secretary for Mines
until the Baldwin administration fell in 1929. The latter year he was also sworn of the Privy Council. He had previously been made a Companion of the Order of the Bath
in 1927.
, Australia
. On 20 August 1930 King's cutter yacht Islander sank in a gale off Fowey
, Cornwall
. All six aboard, including King himself, were lost.
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
Henry Douglas King CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, PC, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, VD
Volunteer Decoration
The Volunteer Officers' Decoration was created by Royal Warrant under command of Queen Victoria on 25 July 1892 to reward 'efficient and capable' officers of the Volunteer Force who had served for twenty years...
(1 June 1877 – 20 August 1930), known as Douglas King, was a British naval commander and 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. He served under Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
as Financial Secretary to the War Office
Financial Secretary to the War Office
Financial Secretary to the War Office was an office of the British government, the financial secretary of the War Office department.The post was combined with that of Under-Secretary of State for War from 17 April 1947....
between 1924 and 1928 and as Secretary for Mines
Secretary for Mines
The position of Secretary for Mines is a now defunct office in the United Kingdom Government, associated with the Board of Trade. Responsibility for mines now lies with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry....
between 1928 and 1929.
Early life
King was initially in the mercantile navy, then served in the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
before joining P & O
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
. He left the sea in 1899 and took up farming for a short while. However, he soon turned to studying law and was called to the Bar
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
, Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
, in 1905. He stood as the Conservative candidate for Norfolk North
North Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)
North Norfolk is a parliamentary constituency 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 the two general elections of 1910, but was defeated on both occasions. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 he obtained a commission in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and served at the Siege of Antwerp
Siege of Antwerp
The Siege of Antwerp was an engagement between the German and the Belgian armies during World War I. A small number of British and Austrian troops took part as well.-Strategic Context:...
and Gallipoli. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in recognition of his services at Gallipoli in 1915. He was also given the French Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1919.
Political career
At the 1918 general election King once again stood for Norfolk NorthNorth Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)
North Norfolk is a parliamentary constituency 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....
and was this time elected. In parliament he initially served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Sir Leslie Wilson
Leslie Orme Wilson
Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, DSO, PC was a British soldier, Conservative politician and Governor of Queensland.-Personal life:...
, Chairman of the National Maritime Board, and then to Sir Hamar Greenwood
Hamar Greenwood, 1st Viscount Greenwood
Hamar Greenwood, 1st Viscount Greenwood PC, KC , known as Sir Hamar Greenwood, Bt, between 1915 and 1929 and as The Lord Greenwood between 1929 and 1937, was a Canadian-born British lawyer and politician...
, the Chief Secretary for Ireland
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
. In 1921 he was appointed a Conservative whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
. The following year he was returned to parliament for Paddington South
Paddington South (UK Parliament constituency)
Paddington South was a Parliamentary constituency in London which returned one Member of Parliament. It was a compact urban area, but predominantly wealthy, and was most famously represented by Lord Randolph Churchill during the latter part of his career....
and entered the government under Andrew Bonar Law
Andrew Bonar Law
Andrew Bonar Law was a British Conservative Party statesman and Prime Minister. Born in the colony of New Brunswick, he is the only British Prime Minister to have been born outside the British Isles...
as a Lord of the Treasury
Lord of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords .Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord...
(government whip), a position he held until January 1924, the last year under the premiership of Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
. When the Conservatives returned to office in November 1924, King was made Financial Secretary to the War Office
Financial Secretary to the War Office
Financial Secretary to the War Office was an office of the British government, the financial secretary of the War Office department.The post was combined with that of Under-Secretary of State for War from 17 April 1947....
and a member of the Army Council. He held this post until 1928, and was then Secretary for Mines
Secretary for Mines
The position of Secretary for Mines is a now defunct office in the United Kingdom Government, associated with the Board of Trade. Responsibility for mines now lies with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry....
until the Baldwin administration fell in 1929. The latter year he was also sworn of the Privy Council. He had previously been made a Companion of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1927.
Personal life
King married the only daughter of W. R. Swan, of AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. On 20 August 1930 King's cutter yacht Islander sank in a gale off Fowey
Fowey
Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.-Early history:...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. All six aboard, including King himself, were lost.