Simon, John Allsebrook, 1st Viscount Simon of Stackpole Elidor

Simon, John Allsebrook, 1st Viscount Simon of Stackpole Elidor (b. 28 Feb. 1873, d. 11 Jan. 1954). British Foreign Secretary 1931–5 Born in Manchester, and educated at Fettes and Oxford. He was called to the Bar in 1899, and was elected to Parliament for the Liberal Party to represent Walthamstow in 1906. In 1910, he was appointed Solicitor-General, and in 1913 entered the Cabinet as Attorney-General. Despite his initial opposition to British participation in World War I, Asquith made him Foreign Secretary (1915–16). However, he resigned in opposition to conscription. He then served with the Royal Flying Corps. He lost his seat in the 1918 Coupon Election, but returned to Parliament in 1922, representing Spen Valley. In opposition, his intellect was put to good use as chairman of a commission on India (1927–30), which issued the Simon Report, advocating greater Indian participation in government. In November 1931, as leader of the breakaway Liberal Nationals, he was Foreign Secretary in MacDonald's National Government (1931–5). He supported disarmament and appeasement, and felt unable to intervene rigorously during the Manchurian crisis of 1931 (Manchukuo). Meanwhile, the Ottawa Agreements further divided Simon's Liberal Nationals from the rest of the Liberals led by Samuel, who left the government. Simon remained, as Home Secretary under Baldwin (1935–7), Chancellor of the Exchequer under N. Chamberlain (1937–40), and Lord Chancellor in Churchill's coalition (1940–5). By the end of his career, he and his Liberal National followers had become Conservatives in all but name.