Shigeru Hori

Shigeru Hori (保利 茂, Hori Shigeru; 20 December 1901 – 4 March 1979) was a prominent Japanese politician who served in various cabinet positions, including Chief Cabinet Secretary, and was also Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan.^[2] He was also the founder of the Liberal Party, and later served in senior positions in the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.^[2]

Shigeru Hori
保利 茂
Shigeru Hori in 1952
Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office 24 December 1976 – 1 February 1979
Preceded by	Shigesaburō Maeo
Succeeded by	Hirokichi Nadao
Director of the Administrative Management Agency
In office 25 November 1973 – 16 July 1974
Prime Minister	Kakuei Tanaka
Preceded by	Takeo Fukuda
Succeeded by	Kichizo Hosoda
Chief Cabinet Secretary
In office 30 November 1968 – 5 July 1971
Prime Minister	Eisaku Satō
Preceded by	Toshio Kimura
Succeeded by	Noboru Takeshita
Minister of Construction
In office 25 November 1967 – 30 November 1968
Prime Minister	Eisaku Satō
Preceded by	Eiichi Nishimura
Succeeded by	Shinzo Tsubokawa
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
In office 22 June 1953 – 10 December 1954
Prime Minister	Shigeru Yoshida
Preceded by	Nobuya Uchida
Succeeded by	Ichirō Kōno
Chief Cabinet Secretary
In office 26 December 1951 – 30 October 1952
Prime Minister	Shigeru Yoshida
Preceded by	Katsuo Okazaki
Succeeded by	Taketora Ogata
Minister of Labour
In office 28 June 1950 – 26 December 1951
Prime Minister	Shigeru Yoshida
Preceded by	Masabumi Suzuki[1]
Succeeded by	Eichi Yoshitake
Personal details
Born	(1901-12-20)December 20, 1901 Karatsu, Saga, Japan
Died	March 4, 1979(1979-03-04) (aged 77)
Alma mater	Chuo University

Early life

Hori was born on 20 December 1901, in Karatsu, Saga.^[2] He graduated from Chuo University in 1924.^[2]

Career

with members of the 2nd Kakuei Tanaka cabinet, after its 1st reshuffle, on 25 November 1973

Following a career as a journalist at Hochi Shimbun and Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun, Hori was elected to the House of Representatives of Japan in 1944.^[2] While he was put into custody following Japan's defeat, he was released and duly returned to political life, becoming Secretary General of the Democratic Party.^[2] In 1950, Hori masterminded the union of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Liberal Party, resulting in the birth of the Liberal Party.^[2] In the same year, Hori was appointed by Shigeru Yoshida as Minister of Labour, and also later served under Yoshida as Chief Cabinet Secretary and Minister of Agriculture.^[3][2]

In the 1960s, Hori served under Eisaku Satō as Minister of Construction and then as Chief Cabinet Secretary.^[2] It was during this period that he rose to prominence within the Liberal Democratic Party itself, serving as its Secretary General and also as a senior figure within the Satō faction.^[2]

Towards the end of his life, Hori served as Director of the Administrative Management Agency in the Tanaka cabinet, and was Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan, the latter of which he served until a month before his death. Hori died on 4 March 1979.^[2]

Honours

• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1972)^[2]