First Commissioner of Works
Encyclopedia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
of Great Britain and Ireland. It took over some of the functions of the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests
First Commissioner of Woods and Forests
The Commissioners of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues were established in the United Kingdom in 1810 by merging the former offices of Surveyor General of Woods, Forests, Parks, and Chases and Surveyor General of the Land Revenues of the Crown into a three-man commission...
in 1851 when the portfolio of Crown holdings was divided into the public and the commercial. The position was frequently of cabinet level. The office was renamed Minister of Works and Buildings and First Commissioner of Works in 1940, Minister of Works and Planning in 1942, Minister of Works in 1943 and finally Minister of Public Buildings and Works in 1962. On 15 October 1970 the Ministry was amalgamated in the Department of the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
.
First Commissioners of Works, 1851-1940
| Name | Entered office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| Lord Seymour Edward Seymour, 12th Duke of Somerset Sir Edward Adolphus Seymour , 12th Duke of Somerset, etc. KG, PC , styled Baron Seymour until 1855, was a British Whig aristocrat and politician, who served in various cabinet positions in the mid-19th century... |
1 August 1851 | 21 February 1852 |
| Lord John Manners John Manners, 7th Duke of Rutland |-... |
4 March 1852 | 17 December 1852 |
| Sir William Molesworth, Bt | 5 January 1853 | 21 July 1855 |
| Sir Benjamin Hall, Bt Benjamin Hall, 1st Baron Llanover Benjamin Hall, 1st Baron Llanover PC , known as Sir Benjamin Hall, Bt, between 1838 and 1859, was a British civil engineer and politician.-Political career:... |
21 July 1855 | 21 February 1858 |
| Lord John Manners John Manners, 7th Duke of Rutland |-... |
26 February 1858 | 11 June 1859 |
| Henry FitzRoy Henry Fitzroy (statesman) Henry FitzRoy was a British politician of the mid-nineteenth century.-Background:FitzRoy was second son of Lieutenant-General George FitzRoy, 2nd Baron Southampton, by his second wife Frances Isabella, daughter of Lord Robert Seymour... |
18 June 1859 | 9 February 1860 |
| Hon. William Cowper William Cowper-Temple, 1st Baron Mount Temple William Francis Cowper-Temple, 1st Baron Mount Temple PC , known as William Cowper before 1869 and as William Cowper-Temple between 1869 and 1880, was a British Liberal Party politician and statesman.... |
9 February 1860 | 26 June 1866 |
| Lord John Manners John Manners, 7th Duke of Rutland |-... |
6 July 1866 | 1 December 1868 |
| Austen Henry Layard Austen Henry Layard Sir Austen Henry Layard GCB, PC was a British traveller, archaeologist, cuneiformist, art historian, draughtsman, collector, author, politician and diplomat, best known as the excavator of Nimrud.-Family:... |
9 December 1868 | 26 October 1869 |
| Acton Smee Ayrton Acton Smee Ayrton Acton Smee Ayrton was a British barrister and Liberal Party politician. Considered a radical and champion of the working classes, he served as First Commissioner of Works under William Ewart Gladstone between 1869 and 1873... |
26 October 1869 | 11 August 1873 |
| William Patrick Adam William Patrick Adam William Patrick Adam, CIE, DL was a British colonial administrator and Liberal politician. He was twice First Commissioner of Works under William Ewart Gladstone and also served briefly as Governor of Madras between 1880 and 1881.-Background and education:Adam was the son of Admiral Sir Charles... |
11 August 1873 | 17 February 1874 |
| Lord Henry Lennox Lord Henry Lennox Lord Henry George Charles Gordon-Lennox PC , known as Lord Henry Lennox, was a British Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1846 to 1885 and was a close friend of Benjamin Disraeli.... |
21 March 1874 | 14 August 1876 |
| Gerard Noel | 14 August 1876 | 21 April 1880 |
| William Patrick Adam William Patrick Adam William Patrick Adam, CIE, DL was a British colonial administrator and Liberal politician. He was twice First Commissioner of Works under William Ewart Gladstone and also served briefly as Governor of Madras between 1880 and 1881.-Background and education:Adam was the son of Admiral Sir Charles... |
3 May 1880 | 1880 |
| George Shaw-Lefevre George Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Baron Eversley George John Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Baron Eversley PC, DL was a British Liberal Party politician. In a ministerial career that spanned thirty years, he was twice First Commissioner of Works and also served as Postmaster General and President of the Local Government Board.-Background and... |
29 November 1881 | 13 February 1885 |
| The Earl of Rosebery Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, KG, PC was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister. Between the death of his father, in 1851, and the death of his grandfather, the 4th Earl, in 1868, he was known by the courtesy title of Lord Dalmeny.Rosebery was a Liberal Imperialist who... |
13 February 1885 | 9 June 1885 |
| Hon. David Plunket David Plunket, 1st Baron Rathmore David Robert Plunket, 1st Baron Rathmore PC, QC was an Irish lawyer and Conservative politician.-Background and education:... |
24 June 1885 | 28 January 1886 |
| The Earl of Morley Albert Parker, 3rd Earl of Morley Albert Edmund Parker, 3rd Earl of Morley PC, DL, JP , styled Viscount Boringdon until 1864, was a British peer and Liberal, later Liberal Unionist politician.-Background and education:... |
17 February 1886 | 16 April 1886 |
| The Earl of Elgin Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin, 13th Earl of Kincardine, KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC , known as Lord Bruce until 1863, was a British statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1894 to 1899.-Background and education:... |
16 April 1886 | 20 July 1886 |
| Hon. David Plunket David Plunket, 1st Baron Rathmore David Robert Plunket, 1st Baron Rathmore PC, QC was an Irish lawyer and Conservative politician.-Background and education:... |
5 August 1886 | 11 August 1892 |
| George Shaw-Lefevre George Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Baron Eversley George John Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Baron Eversley PC, DL was a British Liberal Party politician. In a ministerial career that spanned thirty years, he was twice First Commissioner of Works and also served as Postmaster General and President of the Local Government Board.-Background and... |
18 August 1892 | 18 August 1892 |
| Herbert Gladstone Herbert Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone Herbert John Gladstone, 1st Viscount Gladstone GCB, GCMG, GBE, PC, JP was a British Liberal statesman. The youngest son of William Ewart Gladstone, he was Home Secretary from 1905 to 1910 and Governor-General of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1914.-Background and education:Gladstone was... |
10 March 1894 | 21 June 1895 |
| Aretas Akers-Douglas Aretas Akers-Douglas, 1st Viscount Chilston Aretas Akers-Douglas, 1st Viscount Chilston GBE PC , born Aretas Akers and known as Aretas Akers-Douglas between 1875 and 1911, was a British Conservative statesman and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 until he was raised to the peerage in 1911... |
4 July 1895 | 8 August 1902 |
| The Lord Windsor Robert Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl of Plymouth Robert George Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl of Plymouth GBE, CB, PC , known as The Lord Windsor between 1869 and 1905, was a British nobleman and Conservative politician.-Background:... |
8 August 1902 | 4 December 1905 |
| Lewis Vernon Harcourt Lewis Vernon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt Lewis Vernon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt PC was a British Liberal Party politician who held the Cabinet office of Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1910 to 1915... |
10 December 1905 | 3 November 1910 |
| The Earl Beauchamp William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp KG, KCMG, PC , styled Viscount Elmley until 1891, was a British Liberal politician. He was Governor of New South Wales between 1899 and 1901, a member of the Liberal administrations of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H... |
3 November 1910 | 6 August 1914 |
| The Lord Emmott Alfred Emmott, 1st Baron Emmott Alfred Emmott, 1st Baron Emmott GCMG, GBE, PC was a British businessman and Liberal Party politician.-Background and education:... |
6 August 1914 | 25 May 1915 |
| Lewis Vernon Harcourt Lewis Vernon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt Lewis Vernon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt PC was a British Liberal Party politician who held the Cabinet office of Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1910 to 1915... |
25 May 1915 | 10 December 1916 |
| Sir Alfred Mond, Bt Alfred Mond, 1st Baron Melchett Alfred Moritz Mond, 1st Baron Melchett PC, FRS , known as Sir Alfred Mond, Bt, between 1910 and 1928, was a British industrialist, financier and politician... |
10 December 1916 | 1 April 1921 |
| The Earl of Crawford David Lindsay, 27th Earl of Crawford David Alexander Edward Lindsay, 27th Earl of Crawford and 10th Earl of Balcarres KT, PC, DL, FRS, FSA , styled Lord Balniel between 1880 and 1913, was a British Conservative politician and art connoisseur.... |
1 April 1921 | 19 October 1922 |
| Sir John Baird, Bt John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven John Lawrence Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven, GCMG, DSO, PC, JP, DL , known as Sir John Baird, Bt, between 1920 and 1925 and as The Lord Stonehaven between 1925 and 1928, was a British Conservative politician, who served as a Member of Parliament, government minister, and was later the eighth... |
31 October 1922 | 22 January 1924 |
| Fred Jowett Frederick William Jowett Frederick William 'Fred' Jowett was a British Labour politician.-Early life:Born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, Jowett received little formal education and at the age of eight was working at the local textile mill... |
22 January 1924 | 3 November 1924 |
| The Viscount Peel William Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel William Robert Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel GCSI, GBE, PC, TD was a British politician.-Background and education:... |
10 November 1924 | 18 October 1928 |
| The Marquess of Londonderry Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry, KG, MVO, PC, PC , styled Lord Stewart until 1884 and Viscount Castlereagh between 1884 and 1915, was an Anglo-Irish peer and had careers in both Irish and British politics... |
18 October 1928 | 4 June 1929 |
| George Lansbury George Lansbury George Lansbury was a British politician, socialist, Christian pacifist and newspaper editor. He was a Member of Parliament from 1910 to 1912 and from 1922 to 1940, and leader of the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935.... |
7 June 1929 | 24 August 1931 |
| The Marquess of Londonderry Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry, KG, MVO, PC, PC , styled Lord Stewart until 1884 and Viscount Castlereagh between 1884 and 1915, was an Anglo-Irish peer and had careers in both Irish and British politics... |
25 August 1931 | 5 November 1931 |
| Hon. William Ormsby-Gore William Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech William George Arthur Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech KG, GCMG, PC , known as William Ormsby-Gore until 1938, was a British Conservative politician and banker.-Background:... |
5 November 1931 | 16 June 1936 |
| The Earl Stanhope James Stanhope, 7th Earl Stanhope James Richard Stanhope, 13th Earl of Chesterfield and 7th Earl Stanhope KG, DSO, MC, PC , styled Viscount Mahon until 1905, and known as The Earl Stanhope from 1905 until 1967, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:Stanhope was the eldest son of Arthur Stanhope, 6th Earl Stanhope, and... |
16 June 1936 | 27 May 1937 |
| Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt | 27 May 1937 | 7 June 1939 |
| Herwald Ramsbotham Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury GCMG, GCVO, OBE, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician. He was a government minister between 1931 and 1941 and served as Governor-General of Ceylon between 1949 and 1954.... |
7 June 1939 | 3 April 1940 |
| The Earl De La Warr Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr Herbrand Edward Dundonald Brassey Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr, GBE, PC, DL, JP , styled Lord Buckhurst until 1915 , was a British politician. He was the first hereditary peer to join the Labour Party and became a government minister at the age of 23... |
3 April 1940 | 18 May 1940 |
| The Lord Tryon George Tryon, 1st Baron Tryon Major George Clement Tryon, 1st Baron Tryon, PC was a British Conservative politician who served in a number of ministerial positions in the inter-war years.... |
18 May 1940 | 3 October 1940 |
Minister of Works & Buildings and First Commissioner of Works, 1940-1942
| Name | Entered office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| Sir John Reith John Reith, 1st Baron Reith John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith, KT, GCVO, GBE, CB, TD, PC was a Scottish broadcasting executive who established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom... (Baron Reith from 21 October 1940) |
3 October 1940 | 11 February 1942 |
Minister of Works and Planning, 1942-1943
| Name | Entered office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| The Lord Reith John Reith, 1st Baron Reith John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith, KT, GCVO, GBE, CB, TD, PC was a Scottish broadcasting executive who established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom... |
11 February 1942 | 22 February 1942 |
| The Lord Portal | 22 February 1942 | February 1943 |
Minister of Works, 1943-1962
| Name | Entered office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| The Lord Portal | February 1943 | 21 November 1944 |
| Duncan Sandys Duncan Sandys Edwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys CH PC was a British politician and a minister in successive Conservative governments in the 1950s and 1960s... |
21 November 1944 | 26 July 1945 |
| George Tomlinson George Tomlinson George Tomlinson was a British Labour Party politician.Born in Rishton, Lancashire, he was a conscientious objector in the First World War, and worked on the land.... |
4 August 1945 | 10 February 1947 |
| Charles Key Charles Key Charles William Key, PC was a British schoolmaster and politician. Coming from a very working-class background, the generosity of a family friend made it possible for him to get a start in life and train as a teacher; he entered politics through Poplar Borough Council, and was elected to... |
10 February 1947 | 28 February 1950 |
| Richard Stokes Richard Stokes Major Sir Richard Rapier Stokes MC was a British Labour politician who served briefly as Lord Privy Seal in 1951.... |
28 February 1950 | 26 April 1951 |
| George Brown George Brown, Baron George-Brown George Alfred Brown, Baron George-Brown, PC was a British Labour politician, who served as the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1960 to 1970, and served in a number of positions in the Cabinet, most notably as Foreign Secretary, in the Labour Government of the 1960s... |
26 April 1951 | 26 October 1951 |
| David Eccles David Eccles, 1st Viscount Eccles David McAdam Eccles, 1st Baron Eccles and 1st Viscount Eccles, CH, KCVO, MP, PC was an English Conservative politician.... |
1 November 1951 | 18 October 1954 |
| Nigel Birch Nigel Birch, Baron Rhyl Evelyn Nigel Chetwode Birch, Baron Rhyl, PC, OBE was a British Conservative politician.The son of General Sir Noel Birch and his wife Florence Chetwode, Nigel Birch was educated at Eton. He was a partner in Cohen Laming Hoare until May 1939 when he retired to study politics... |
18 October 1954 | 20 December 1955 |
| Patrick Buchan-Hepburn Patrick Buchan-Hepburn, 1st Baron Hailes Patrick George Thomas Buchan-Hepburn, 1st Baron Hailes, GBE, CH , was a British Conservative politician and the only Governor-General of the short-lived West Indies Federation, from 3 January 1958, to 31 May 1962, when the country was disbanded.-Background and education:Buchan-Hepburn was the... |
20 December 1955 | 16 January 1957 |
| Hugh Molson Hugh Molson, Baron Molson Hugh Molson, Baron Molson PC was a British Conservative politician.Born in Chelmsford, Essex, the only surviving son of Major John Elsdale Molson, Member of Parliament for Gainsborough from 1918–23, and Mary Leeson, he was educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne and Dartmouth, at Lancing,... |
16 January 1957 | 22 October 1959 |
| Lord John Hope John Hope, 1st Baron Glendevon John Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Baron Glendevon PC , known as Lord John Hope from 1912 to 1964, was a Scottish Tory politician.... |
22 October 1959 | 16 July 1962 |
Minister of Public Buildings and Works, 1962-1970
| Name | Entered office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| Geoffrey Rippon Geoffrey Rippon Geoffrey Frederick Rippon, Baron Rippon of Hexham, PC, was a British Conservative politician. He was Chairman of the European-Atlantic Group.... |
16 July 1962 | 10 October 1964 |
| Charles Pannell Charles Pannell Charles Pannell, Baron Pannell was a British Labour Party politician. He was elected Member of Parliament for Leeds West at a 1949 by-election, and served until his retirement at the February 1974 general election.... |
19 October 1964 | 6 April 1966 |
| Reginald Prentice Reginald Prentice Reginald Ernest Prentice, Baron Prentice, PC was a British politician who held ministerial office in both Labour and Conservative Party governments... |
6 April 1966 | 29 August 1967 |
| Bob Mellish Bob Mellish, Baron Mellish Robert Joseph Mellish, Baron Mellish, PC was a British politician. He was a long-serving Labour Party MP and served as the Labour Chief Whip from 1969 until 1976 but in his later years he fell out with his local Constituency Labour Party which had become dominated by left-wingers, and eventually... |
29 August 1967 | 30 April 1969 |
| Hon. John Silkin John Silkin John Ernest Silkin, PC was an English Labour politician and solicitor.He was the third son of Lewis Silkin, 1st Baron Silkin, and a younger brother of Samuel Silkin, Baron Silkin of Dulwich. He was educated at Dulwich College, the University of Wales, and Trinity Hall at the University of... |
30 April 1969 | 19 June 1970 |
| Julian Amery Julian Amery, Baron Amery of Lustleigh Harold Julian Amery, Baron Amery of Lustleigh, PC was a British politician of the Conservative Party, who served as a Member of Parliament for 39 of the 42 years between 1950 and 1992. He was appointed to the Privy Council in 1960. He was created a life peer upon his retirement from the House of... |
23 June 1970 | 15 October 1970 |