Secretary of State for Air

For the RAF personnel management appointment, see Air Secretary.

The Secretary of State for Air was a secretary of state position in the British government that existed from 1919 to 1964. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. The Secretary of State for Air was supported by the Under-Secretary of State for Air.

Secretary of State for Air
Royal Arms as used by His Majesty's Government
Longest serving Archibald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso 11 May 1940 – 23 May 1945
Air Ministry
Status	Abolished Formerly, Secretary of state
Member of	British Cabinet Privy Council
Seat	Westminster, London
Appointer	The British Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	No fixed term
Precursor	President of the Air Council
Formation	10 January 1919
First holder	Winston Churchill
Final holder	Hugh Fraser
Abolished	1 April 1964
Succession	Secretary of State for Defence

Air Council in session at the Air Ministry in July 1940.

History

The position was created on 10 January 1919 to manage the Royal Air Force. In 1946, the three posts of Secretary of State for War, First Lord of the Admiralty, and Secretary of State for Air became formally subordinated to that of Minister of Defence, which had itself been created in 1940 for the co-ordination of defence and security issues. On 1 April 1964, the Air Ministry was incorporated into the newly created united Ministry of Defence, and the position of Secretary of State for Air was abolished.

Principal political leaders of the English/British Armed Forces:

	Royal Navy	British Army	Royal Air Force	Co-ordination
1628	First Lord of the Admiralty (1628–1964)
1794		Secretary of State for War (1794–1801)
1801		Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (1801–1854)
1854		Secretary of State for War (1854–1964)
1919			Secretary of State for Air (1919–1964)
1936				Minister for Co-ordination of Defence (1936–1940)
1940				Minister of Defence (1940–1964)
1964	Secretary of State for Defence (1964–present)

List of leaders

Chairman of the Joint War Air Committee, 1916
Chairman			Term of office			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
		Edward Stanley 17th Earl of Derby	February 1916	February 1916[a]	7 months and 19 days	Conservative
Presidents of the Air Board, 1916–1917
President			Term of office			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
		George Curzon 1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston	15 May 1916	3 January 1917	10 months and 23 days	Conservative
		Weetman Pearson 1st Viscount Cowdray	3 January 1917	26 November 1917	10 months and 23 days	Liberal
Presidents of the Air Council, 1917–1919
President			Term of office			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
		Harold Harmsworth 1st Baron Rothermere	26 November 1917	26 April 1918	5 months
		William Weir 1st Baron Weir	26 April 1918	10 January 1919	8 months and 15 days
		J. E. B. Seely MP for Ilkeston	January 1919	November 1919[a]	9 or 10 months	Conservative
Secretaries of State for Air, 1919–1964
Secretary			Term of office			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
		Winston Churchill[b] MP for Dundee	10 January 1919	1 April 1921	2 years, 2 months and 22 days	Liberal
		Frederick Edward Guest MP for East Dorset	1 April 1921	19 October 1922	1 year, 6 months and 18 days	Liberal
		Sir Samuel Hoare MP for Chelsea	31 October 1922	22 January 1924	1 year, 2 months and 22 days	Conservative
		Christopher Thomson 1st Baron Thomson	22 January 1924	3 November 1924	9 months and 12 days	Labour
		Sir Samuel Hoare MP for Chelsea	6 November 1924	4 June 1929	4 years, 6 months and 29 days	Conservative
		Christopher Thomson 1st Baron Thomson	7 June 1929	5 October 1930†	1 year, 3 months and 28 days	Labour
		William Mackenzie 1st Baron Amulree	14 October 1930	5 November 1931	1 year and 22 days	Labour
		Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart 7th Marquess of Londonderry	5 November 1931	7 June 1935	3 years, 7 months and 2 days	Conservative
		Philip Cunliffe-Lister 1st Viscount Swinton	7 June 1935	16 May 1938	2 years, 11 months and 9 days	Conservative
		Sir Kingsley Wood MP for Woolwich West	16 May 1938	3 April 1940	1 year, 10 months and 18 days	Conservative
		Sir Samuel Hoare MP for Chelsea	3 April 1940	11 May 1940	1 month and 8 days	Conservative
		Sir Archibald Sinclair MP for Caithness and Sutherland	11 May 1940	23 May 1945	5 years and 12 days	Liberal
		Harold Macmillan MP for Stockton-on-Tees	25 May 1945	26 July 1945	2 months and 1 day	Conservative
		William Wedgwood Benn 1st Viscount Stansgate	3 August 1945	4 October 1946	1 year, 2 months and 1 day	Labour
		Philip Noel-Baker MP for Derby	4 October 1946	7 October 1947	1 year and 3 days	Labour
		Arthur Henderson MP for Kingswinford before 1950 MP for Rowley Regis and Tipton after 1950	7 October 1947	26 October 1951	4 years and 19 days	Labour
		William Sidney 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley	31 October 1951	20 December 1955	4 years, 1 month and 20 days	Conservative
		Nigel Birch MP for West Flintshire	20 December 1955	16 January 1957	1 year and 27 days	Conservative
		George Ward MP for Worcester	16 January 1957	28 October 1960	3 years, 9 months and 12 days	Conservative
		Julian Amery MP for Preston North	28 October 1960	16 July 1962	1 year, 8 months and 18 days	Conservative
		Hugh Fraser MP for Stafford and Stone	16 July 1962	1 April 1964	1 year, 8 months and 16 days	Conservative

Notes

1. Resigned.
2. Also Secretary of State for War.

External links

• Hansard – Secretary of State for Air