Secretary of State for Air explained

Post:	Secretary
Body:	State for Air
Insignia:	Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
Insigniacaption:	Royal Arms as used by His Majesty's Government
Department:	Air Ministry
Status:	Abolished Formerly, Secretary of state
Member Of:	British Cabinet Privy Council
Seat:	Westminster, London
Appointer:	The British Monarch
Termlength:	No fixed term
Precursor:	President of the Air Council
Formation:	10 January 1919
First:	Winston Churchill
Last:	Hugh Fraser
Abolished:	1 April 1964
Succession:	Secretary of State for Defence

The Secretary of State for Air was a secretary of state position in the British government that existed from 1919 to 1964. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. The Secretary of State for Air was supported by the Under-Secretary of State for Air.

History

The position 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.

List of leaders

Chairman of the Joint War Air Committee, 1916
Chairman	Term of office			Political party
Took office	Left office	Time in office
		Edward Stanley 17th Earl of Derby	1916	1916		Conservative
Presidents of the Air Board, 1916–1917
President	Term of office			Political party
Took office	Left office	Time in office
		George Curzon 1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston	1916	1917		Conservative
		Weetman Pearson 1st Viscount Cowdray	1917	1917		Liberal
Presidents of the Air Council, 1917–1919
President	Term of office			Political party
Took office	Left office	Time in office
		Harold Harmsworth 1st Baron Rothermere	1917	1918
		William Weir 1st Baron Weir	1918	1919
		J. E. B. Seely	1919	1919		Conservative
Secretaries of State for Air, 1919–1964
Secretary	Term of office			Political party
Took office	Left office	Time in office
		Winston Churchill	1919	1921		Liberal
		Frederick Edward Guest	1921	1922		Liberal
		Sir Samuel Hoare	1922	1924		Conservative
		Christopher Thomson 1st Baron Thomson	1924	1924		Labour
		Sir Samuel Hoare	1924	1929		Conservative
		Christopher Thomson 1st Baron Thomson	1929	1930†		Labour
		William Mackenzie 1st Baron Amulree	1930	1931		Labour
		Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart 7th Marquess of Londonderry	1931	1935		Conservative
		Philip Cunliffe-Lister 1st Viscount Swinton	1935	1938		Conservative
		Sir Kingsley Wood	1938	1940		Conservative
		Sir Samuel Hoare	1940	1940		Conservative
		Sir Archibald Sinclair	1940	1945		Liberal
		Harold Macmillan	1945	1945		Conservative
		William Wedgwood Benn 1st Viscount Stansgate	1945	1946		Labour
		Philip Noel-Baker	1946	1947		Labour
		Arthur Henderson	1947	1951		Labour
		William Sidney 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley	1951	1955		Conservative
		Nigel Birch	1955	1957		Conservative
		George Ward	1957	1960		Conservative
		Julian Amery	1960	1962		Conservative
		Hugh Fraser	1962	1964		Conservative

External links

• Hansard – Secretary of State for Air