Secretary of State for Air

The Secretary of State for Air was a cabinet-level position in the British government. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. It 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.

For the RAF personnel management appointment, see Air Secretary.

Secretary of State for Air
Royal Arms as used by His Majesty's Government
Air Ministry
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

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

Chairmen of the Joint War Air Committee, 1916

Portrait		Name	Term of office		Political party
		The Right Honourable Edward Stanley 17th Earl of Derby KG CB GCVO TD PC	February 1916	February 1916[1]	Conservative

Presidents of the Air Board, 1916–1917

Portrait		Name	Term of office		Political party
		The Right Honourable George Curzon 1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston KG GCSI GCIE PC	15 May 1916	3 January 1917	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Weetman Pearson 1st Viscount Cowdray PC	3 January 1917	26 November 1917	Liberal

Presidents of the Air Council, 1917–1919

Portrait		Name	Term of office		Political party
		The Right Honourable Harold Harmsworth 1st Baron Rothermere PC	26 November 1917	26 April 1918
		The Right Honourable William Weir 1st Baron Weir PC	26 April 1918	10 January 1919
		The Right Honourable J. E. B. Seely CB CMG DSO TD DL MP for Ilkeston	January 1919	November 1919[2]

Secretaries of State for Air, 1919–1964

Portrait		Name	Term of office		Political party
		The Right Honourable Winston Churchill[3] MP for Dundee	10 January 1919	1 April 1921	Liberal
		The Right Honourable Frederick Edward Guest DSO MP for East Dorset	1 April 1921	19 October 1922	Liberal
		The Right Honourable Sir Samuel Hoare Bt CMG JP MP for Chelsea	31 October 1922	22 January 1924	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Christopher Thomson 1st Baron Thomson PC	22 January 1924	3 November 1924	Labour
		The Right Honourable Sir Samuel Hoare Bt CMG JP MP for Chelsea	6 November 1924	4 June 1929	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Christopher Thomson 1st Baron Thomson PC	7 June 1929	5 October 1930†	Labour
		The Right Honourable William Mackenzie 1st Baron Amulree GBE PC KC	14 October 1930	5 November 1931	Labour
		The Most Honourable Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart 7th Marquess of Londonderry KG MVO PC	5 November 1931	7 June 1935	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Philip Cunliffe-Lister 1st Viscount Swinton GBE MC PC	7 June 1935	16 May 1938	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Sir Kingsley Wood MP for Woolwich West	16 May 1938	3 April 1940	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Sir Samuel Hoare, Bt Bt GCSI GBE CMG JP MP for Chelsea	3 April 1940	11 May 1940	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Sir Archibald Sinclair Bt KT CMG MP for Caithness and Sutherland	11 May 1940	23 May 1945	Liberal
		The Right Honourable Harold Macmillan MP for Stockton-on-Tees	25 May 1945	26 July 1945	Conservative
		The Right Honourable William Wedgwood Benn 1st Viscount Stansgate DSO DFC PC	3 August 1945	4 October 1946	Labour
		The Right Honourable Philip Noel-Baker MP for Derby	4 October 1946	7 October 1947	Labour
		The Right Honourable Arthur Henderson MP for Kingswinford before 1950 MP for Rowley Regis and Tipton after 1950	7 October 1947	26 October 1951	Labour
		The Right Honourable William Sidney 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley VC PC	31 October 1951	20 December 1955	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Nigel Birch OBE MP for West Flintshire	20 December 1955	16 January 1957	Conservative
		The Right Honourable George Ward MP for Worcester	16 January 1957	28 October 1960	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Julian Amery MP for Preston North	28 October 1960	16 July 1962	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Hugh Fraser MBE MP for Stafford and Stone	16 July 1962	1 April 1964	Conservative

Notes

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

External links

• Hansard – Secretary of State for Air