Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford
Encyclopedia
Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford PC (19 November 1870 – 14 November 1949) was a prominent Liberal
, later National Liberal
politician in the United Kingdom from the 1900s until the 1930s.
, later 1st Baron Runciman.
(MP) in a two-member by-election
for Oldham
in 1899, defeating the Conservative
candidates, James Mawdsley
and Winston Churchill
. After winning, Runciman is reported to have commented to Churchill: "Don't worry, I don't think this is the last the country has heard of either of us." The following year in the 1900 general election
Churchill stood against Runciman again and defeated him.
Runciman soon returned to Parliament for Dewsbury
in 1902 and steadily rose through the ranks of the Liberal Party
. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board
by Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
in 1905, a post he held until 1907, and then served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury
until 1908. In April of the latter year he was sworn of the Privy Council and appointed President of the Board of Education
by the new Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith
, which position he retained for three years, followed by another three years as President of the Board of Agriculture
.
In 1914, on the outbreak of war, the President of the Board of Trade, John Burns
, resigned and Runciman was appointed to succeed him. He held the position for the next two years but resigned in December 1916 when Asquith's government fell and was succeeded by a coalition headed by David Lloyd George
. In the splits that were to rage in the Liberal Party for the next seven years Runciman remained prominent in opposition to Lloyd George, especially when the latter became party leader in 1926. Runciman lost the seat in 1918, but returned for Swansea West
in 1924.
the Liberals emerged with the balance of power between the Conservatives and Labour
. Runciman took the seat of St Ives
, which his wife Hilda had won in a by-election
the previous year. The Liberals soon found themselves heavily divided over how to respond to the Great Depression
, whether or not to continue supporting the Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald
and even over the basic direction of the party.
In 1931 the cause of the strife was seemingly removed when the Labour Government fell and was succeeded by an all party 'National Government
' but further divisions emerged when it was proposed that the National Government call a general election to seek a mandate to introduce protective tariffs, a policy that was anathema to many Liberals, Runciman included. The Liberals officially threatened to withdraw from the government, but a group under Sir John Simon
emerged as the Liberal Nationals
, mainly composed of those who had been opposed to Lloyd George's leadership, who were prepared to continue to support the National Government. A compromise was worked out whereby each party in the National Government campaigned on its own manifesto.
After the National Government won a massive majority in the 1931 general election
the Cabinet was reconstructed. It was felt prudent to balance the key Cabinet committee that would take the decisions on tariffs and so Runciman was appointed President of the Board of Trade once more, in the belief that he would serve as a counterbalance to the protectionist Chancellor of the Exchequer
Neville Chamberlain
. However like the other Liberal Nationals, Runciman came to accept the principle of tariffs. When in late 1932 the official Liberals resigned their ministerial posts, Runciman very nearly resigned with them but decided not to. In 1933 the official Liberals withdrew completely their support for the National Government but Runciman remained holding office, even though he was President of the extra-Parliamentary National Liberal Federation
until 1934. He concluded the Roca-Runciman Treaty
with Argentina
, which triggered a public uproar in Buenos Aires
.
Runciman remained as President of the Board of Trade until May 1937 when Stanley Baldwin
retired and his successor, Neville Chamberlain
, only offered Runciman the sinecure
position of Lord Privy Seal
, an offer Runciman declined. In June 1937 he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Runciman of Doxford, of Doxford in the County of Northumberland. Four years earlier his father had been created Baron Runciman and "of Doxford" was consequently used to differentiate from his father's title. This was a rare case of a father and son sitting in the House of Lords
at the same time, with the son holding a superior title. A few months later his father died and he inherited both the barony and his father's shipping business.
In 1938 Runciman returned to public life when the new Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain
, sent him to Czechoslovakia
to see if he could obtain a settlement between the Czechoslovak government and the Germans in the Sudetenland
. In the beginning of his mission he had reasonable hope to achieve a kind of automomy for the Sudetenland within Czechoslovakia, following the Swiss model. Due to a propaganda campaign, fired from Hitler's Germany, the majority of the frustrated German population, however, wanted the Sudetenland to become part of Germany. Runciman's final report supported this solution and thus led to the Munich Agreement
.
Lord Runciman reported to the following the British government:
Shortly after the agreement was signed, Chamberlain reshuffled his Cabinet and appointed Runciman as Lord President of the Council
, a post he held until the outbreak of the Second World War
.
, daughter of James Cochran Stevenson
, in 1898. They had two sons and three daughters.
Their daughter Margaret Fairweather (married Douglas Fairweather who established the Air Movements Flight in 1942, later joined by Margaret) was the first woman to fly a Spitfire
and was one of the original eight female pilots selected by Pauline Gower
to join the Air Transport Auxiliary
. Margaret was killed in 1944 landing a Proctor
.
Their second son the Hon. Sir Steven Runciman
was a historian. Lord Runciman of Doxford died in November 1949, aged 78, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Walter
. Lady Runciman died in 1956, aged 87.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
, later National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
politician in the United Kingdom from the 1900s until the 1930s.
Background
Runciman was the son of the shipping magnate Sir Walter Runciman, 1st BaronetWalter Runciman, 1st Baron Runciman
Walter Runciman, 1st Baron Runciman was an English shipping magnate. Referred to by his grandson Steven as "a Geordie of Scots descent who ran away to sea at 11, was a master mariner by 21 and founded a shipping line", Runciman wrote several books based on his years at sea...
, later 1st Baron Runciman.
Political career, 1899-1929
Runciman was first elected as a Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) in a two-member by-election
Oldham by-election, 1899
The Oldham by-election of 1899 occurred in the summer of that year, and involved a by-election to fill both seats in the two-member Oldham Parliamentary borough. The block voting method allowed each elector to vote for two candidates...
for Oldham
Oldham (UK Parliament constituency)
Oldham was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Oldham, England. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
in 1899, defeating the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidates, James Mawdsley
James Mawdsley (trade unionist)
James Mawdsley was an English trade unionist. Alongside Winston Churchill, he stood as a Conservative Party candidate in the double Oldham by-election of 1899.-Biography:...
and Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
. After winning, Runciman is reported to have commented to Churchill: "Don't worry, I don't think this is the last the country has heard of either of us." The following year in the 1900 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
Churchill stood against Runciman again and defeated him.
Runciman soon returned to Parliament for Dewsbury
Dewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Dewsbury is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
in 1902 and steadily rose through the ranks of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board
Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board was, from 1871 – 1919, a junior ministerial post in the United Kingdom subordinate to the President of the Local Government Board...
by Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman GCB was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. He also served as Secretary of State for War twice, in the Cabinets of Gladstone and Rosebery...
in 1905, a post he held until 1907, and then served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a junior Ministerial post in the British Treasury. It is the 4th most significant Ministerial role within the Treasury after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the Paymaster General...
until 1908. In April of the latter year he was sworn of the Privy Council and appointed President of the Board of Education
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
by the new Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
, which position he retained for three years, followed by another three years as President of the Board of Agriculture
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named President of the Board of Agriculture and was created in 1889...
.
In 1914, on the outbreak of war, the President of the Board of Trade, John Burns
John Burns
John Elliot Burns was an English trade unionist and politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly associated with London politics. He was a socialist and then a Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister. He was anti-alcohol and a keen sportsman...
, resigned and Runciman was appointed to succeed him. He held the position for the next two years but resigned in December 1916 when Asquith's government fell and was succeeded by a coalition headed by David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
. In the splits that were to rage in the Liberal Party for the next seven years Runciman remained prominent in opposition to Lloyd George, especially when the latter became party leader in 1926. Runciman lost the seat in 1918, but returned for Swansea West
Swansea West (UK Parliament constituency)
Swansea West is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in 1924.
Political career, 1929-1940
In the 1929 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
the Liberals emerged with the balance of power between the Conservatives and Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Runciman took the seat of St Ives
St Ives (UK Parliament constituency)
St. Ives is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History:...
, which his wife Hilda had won in a by-election
St Ives by-election, 1928
The St Ives by-election, 1928 was a by-election held on 6 March 1928 for the British House of Commons constituency of St Ives in Cornwall.-Cause:...
the previous year. The Liberals soon found themselves heavily divided over how to respond to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, whether or not to continue supporting the Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
and even over the basic direction of the party.
In 1931 the cause of the strife was seemingly removed when the Labour Government fell and was succeeded by an all party 'National Government
UK National Government
In the United Kingdom the term National Government is an abstract concept referring to a coalition of some or all major political parties. In a historical sense it usually refers primarily to the governments of Ramsay MacDonald, Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain which held office from 1931...
' but further divisions emerged when it was proposed that the National Government call a general election to seek a mandate to introduce protective tariffs, a policy that was anathema to many Liberals, Runciman included. The Liberals officially threatened to withdraw from the government, but a group under Sir John Simon
John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon
John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon GCSI GCVO OBE PC was a British politician who held senior Cabinet posts from the beginning of the First World War to the end of the Second. He is one of only three people to have served as Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer,...
emerged as the Liberal Nationals
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
, mainly composed of those who had been opposed to Lloyd George's leadership, who were prepared to continue to support the National Government. A compromise was worked out whereby each party in the National Government campaigned on its own manifesto.
After the National Government won a massive majority in the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
the Cabinet was reconstructed. It was felt prudent to balance the key Cabinet committee that would take the decisions on tariffs and so Runciman was appointed President of the Board of Trade once more, in the belief that he would serve as a counterbalance to the protectionist Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
. However like the other Liberal Nationals, Runciman came to accept the principle of tariffs. When in late 1932 the official Liberals resigned their ministerial posts, Runciman very nearly resigned with them but decided not to. In 1933 the official Liberals withdrew completely their support for the National Government but Runciman remained holding office, even though he was President of the extra-Parliamentary National Liberal Federation
National Liberal Federation
The National Liberal Federation was the union of all English and Welsh Liberal Associations. It held an annual conference which was regarded as being representative of the opinion of the party’s rank and file and was broadly the equivalent of a present-day party conference.-Foundation:The...
until 1934. He concluded the Roca-Runciman Treaty
Roca-Runciman Treaty
The Roca-Runciman Treaty was a commercial agreement between Argentina and Great Britain signed in London by the Vice President of Argentina, Julio Argentino Roca, Jr., and the president of the British Board of Trade, Sir Walter Runciman, the British envoy....
with Argentina
Infamous Decade
The Infamous Decade in Argentina is the name given to the period of time that started in 1930 with the coup d'état against President Hipólito Yrigoyen by José Félix Uriburu...
, which triggered a public uproar in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
Runciman remained as President of the Board of Trade until May 1937 when Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
retired and his successor, Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
, only offered Runciman the sinecure
Sinecure
A sinecure means an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service...
position of Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
, an offer Runciman declined. In June 1937 he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Runciman of Doxford, of Doxford in the County of Northumberland. Four years earlier his father had been created Baron Runciman and "of Doxford" was consequently used to differentiate from his father's title. This was a rare case of a father and son sitting in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
at the same time, with the son holding a superior title. A few months later his father died and he inherited both the barony and his father's shipping business.
In 1938 Runciman returned to public life when the new Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
, sent him to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
to see if he could obtain a settlement between the Czechoslovak government and the Germans in the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
. In the beginning of his mission he had reasonable hope to achieve a kind of automomy for the Sudetenland within Czechoslovakia, following the Swiss model. Due to a propaganda campaign, fired from Hitler's Germany, the majority of the frustrated German population, however, wanted the Sudetenland to become part of Germany. Runciman's final report supported this solution and thus led to the Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
.
Lord Runciman reported to the following the British government:
Shortly after the agreement was signed, Chamberlain reshuffled his Cabinet and appointed Runciman as Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
, a post he held until the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Family
Lord Runciman of Doxford married HildaHilda Runciman, Viscountess Runciman of Doxford
Hilda Runciman, Viscountess Runciman of Doxford was a British Liberal Party politician.-Family and Education:...
, daughter of James Cochran Stevenson
James Cochran Stevenson
James Cochran Stevenson was an English industrialist at Tyneside and a Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1895....
, in 1898. They had two sons and three daughters.
Their daughter Margaret Fairweather (married Douglas Fairweather who established the Air Movements Flight in 1942, later joined by Margaret) was the first woman to fly a Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
and was one of the original eight female pilots selected by Pauline Gower
Pauline Gower
Pauline Mary de Peauly Gower , married name Pauline Fahie, was a British pilot and writer who headed the female branch of the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War....
to join the Air Transport Auxiliary
Air Transport Auxiliary
The Air Transport Auxiliary was a British World War II civilian organisation that ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between UK factories, assembly plants, transatlantic delivery points, Maintenance Units , scrap yards, and active service squadrons and airfields—but not to...
. Margaret was killed in 1944 landing a Proctor
Percival Proctor
The Percival Proctor was a British radio trainer and communications aircraft of the Second World War. The Proctor was a single-engine, low-wing monoplane with seating for three or four, depending on the model.-Design and development:...
.
Their second son the Hon. Sir Steven Runciman
Steven Runciman
The Hon. Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman CH — known as Steven Runciman — was a British historian known for his work on the Middle Ages...
was a historian. Lord Runciman of Doxford died in November 1949, aged 78, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Walter
Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford
Walter Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford was a prominent member of a well-known Newcastle ship-owning family.-Background:...
. Lady Runciman died in 1956, aged 87.