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William Maxwell Aitken Beaverbrook, 1st Baron
William Maxwell Aitken Beaverbrook, 1st Baron 1879–1964, British financier, statesman, and newspaper owner, b. Canada. The son of a Scottish Presbyterian clergyman, he grew up near Beaverbrook, N.B. He made a fortune in business and was probably a millionaire when he went to England in 1910. There he immediately entered political life as a member of Parliament and secretary to a fellow Canadian, Conservative leader Andrew Bonar Law. Politically ambitious, he was involved in the intrigues that led to the replacement (1916) of Herbert Asquith as prime minister by David Lloyd George. He was not given a place in the new cabinet, but he received a peerage (1917). Beaverbrook obtained control of the Daily Express (1916) and the Evening Standard (1923) and began the Sunday Express (1918). Both in Parliament and in his newspapers he advocated strong imperial ties and free trade within the empire, regardless of commercial agreements with other countries, but he never succeeded completely in his attempts to have his imperial isolationist policies adopted by the Conservative party. In World War II, Lord Beaverbrook was prominent in Winston Churchill's coalition government as minister of aircraft production (1940–41), minister of supply (1941–42), minister of war production (Feb., 1942), special envoy to the United States on supplies (1942), and lord privy seal (1943–45). After the fall of the Churchill government in 1945, he continued his supervision of his newspapers. His books include Success (1922), Politicians and the War 1914–1916 (1928), Men and Power: 1917–1918 (1956), and Friends (1959).
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"William Maxwell Aitken Beaverbrook, 1st Baron." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "William Maxwell Aitken Beaverbrook, 1st Baron." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Beaverbr.html "William Maxwell Aitken Beaverbrook, 1st Baron." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Beaverbr.html |
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Beaverbrook, William Maxwell Aitken, Baron
Beaverbrook, William Maxwell Aitken, Baron (1879–1964) British financier, statesman, and newspaper owner. In 1910 he became a Conservative Member of Parliament and in 1916 took an important part in overthrowing ASQUITH and manoeuvring LLOYD GEORGE into the premiership. By 1918 he owned the Evening Standard, the Sunday Express, and Daily Express, with a record world circulation. Through these newspapers he supported the Hoare-LAVAL pact and Chamberlain's APPEASEMENT of Hitler by the MUNICH PACT (1938). In 1940 he became Minister of Aircraft Production and a member of Churchill's war cabinet and his efforts in producing fighter aircraft were significant in ensuring that the Battle of BRITAIN was won.
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"Beaverbrook, William Maxwell Aitken, Baron." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Beaverbrook, William Maxwell Aitken, Baron." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-BeaverbrokWllmMxwlltknBrn.html "Beaverbrook, William Maxwell Aitken, Baron." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-BeaverbrokWllmMxwlltknBrn.html |
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Beaverbrook, William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron
Beaverbrook, William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron (1879–1964) British newspaper proprietor and politician, b. Canada. He entered Parliament in 1910 and became a peer in 1917. He was chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1918–22) and one of Winston Churchill's war cabinet (1940–45). He bought a majority interest in the Daily Express (1916), and later founded the Sunday Express and the Evening Standard.
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Cite this article
"Beaverbrook, William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Beaverbrook, William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-BevrbrkWllmMxwlltkn1stBrn.html "Beaverbrook, William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-BevrbrkWllmMxwlltkn1stBrn.html |
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