Antony Head, 1st Viscount Head

For the actor, see Anthony Head.
The Right Honourable
The Viscount Head
GCMG CBE MC PC
Secretary of State for War
In office
31 October 1951  18 October 1956
Monarch George VI
Elizabeth II
Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Anthony Eden
Preceded by John Strachey
Succeeded by Hon. John Hare
Minister of Defence
In office
18 October 1956  9 January 1957
Monarch Elizabeth II
Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden
Preceded by Walter Monckton
Succeeded by Duncan Sandys
Personal details
Born 19 December 1906 (1906-12-19)
Died 29 March 1983 (1983-03-30) (aged 76)
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Lady Dorothea Ashley-Cooper
Alma mater Royal Military College, Sandhurst

Antony Henry Head, 1st Viscount Head GCMG CBE MC PC (19 December 1906 29 March 1983) was a British soldier, Conservative politician and diplomat.

Background and education

Head was the son of Geoffrey Head and Ethel Daisy, daughter of Arthur Flower, and was educated at Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

Military career

A career soldier, Head was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars on 30 August 1926.[1] He later joined the Life Guards, serving through the Second World War and achieving the rank of Brigadier. He was awarded the Military Cross (MC) on 20 December 1940.[2]

Political career

Head was elected Conservative MP for Carshalton in 1945. He served as Secretary of State for War from 1951 to 1956 and as Minister of Defence (with a seat in the cabinet) from 1956 to 1957, in the administrations of Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1951 and in 1960 he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Head, of Throope in the County of Wiltshire. He was later High Commissioner to Nigeria from 1960 to 1963 and High Commissioner to Malaysia from 1963 to 1966.

Family

Lord Head married Lady Dorothea Louise, daughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, on 23 July 1935. They had four children:

Lord Head died in March 1983, aged 76, and was succeeded in the viscountcy by his eldest son, Richard.

References

  1. The London Gazette: no. 33198. p. 5765. 3 September 1926. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  2. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35020. p. 7197. 20 December 1940. Retrieved 29 March 2015.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency Member of Parliament for Carshalton
19451960
Succeeded by
Walter Elliot
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
None
High Commissioner to Nigeria
19601963
Succeeded by
The Hon. Sir Francis Cumming-Bruce
Preceded by
-
High Commissioner to Malaysia
19631966
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
John Strachey
Secretary of State for War
19511956
Succeeded by
Hon. John Hare
Preceded by
Walter Monckton
Minister of Defence
19561957
Succeeded by
Duncan Sandys
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Viscount Head
19601983
Succeeded by
Richard Head
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, February 17, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.