Alec Douglas-Home Facts & Worksheets

• He even played in matches abroad in South America. Wisden, the famous cricket guide, described him as ‘a useful member of the Eton XI’. In addition, he served in the Territorial Army. He became a lieutenant in the Lanarkshire Yeomanry in 1924 and was promoted to captain in 1928.

Career Before Premiership

Entry into Politics and Early Parliamentary Career (1931–1937)

• Dunglass could stand for the House of Commons because his title did not give him a seat in the House of Lords. Unlike many aristocratic families, the Douglas-Homes had little history of politics. His great-grandfather had briefly worked in government as Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, and his father had tried, without success, to be elected to Parliament before inheriting the earldom.
• At Eton and Oxford, Dunglass was not very interested in politics and did not join the Oxford Union, which was common for young politicians. But he was unsure about simply living as a country gentleman and felt it would not be enough for him. Seeing the poverty and unemployment in Scotland where his family lived also made him want to help. He thought politics was a way to serve the public, especially after the First World War had removed many experienced leaders.
• Dunglass’s ideas were influenced by Noel Skelton, a Unionist politician who supported a ‘property-owning democracy’. This meant giving workers a share in the companies they worked for. Dunglass did not agree with socialism, believing that if everyone owns something, no one really does. With Skelton’s help, Dunglass became the Unionist candidate for Coatbridge in 1929. He lost the election to Labour, but it taught him how to speak in public and handle tough audiences.
• In 1931, a coalition called the National Government was formed to deal with a financial crisis. Dunglass was chosen as the Unionist candidate for Lanark, a mixed constituency that had been won by Labour in 1929. With support from the pro-coalition Liberal Party, he easily won the seat, defeating Labour.
• In Parliament, many MPs supported the coalition, so Dunglass could have stayed in the background. But Skelton, now a junior minister, appointed him as his unpaid aide, giving him the chance to learn how the government worked. 
• Dunglass gave his first speech in February 1932, talking about economic policy. He suggested carefully protecting British industry from cheap imports to create jobs and increase wages rather than relying on unemployment benefits. Over the next few years, Dunglass helped with healthcare in rural Scotland, farming, fisheries, education and industry.

Wartime Career and Military Service (1937–1945)

• In 1937, Stanley Baldwin retired as prime minister and Neville Chamberlain became the new leader. Dunglass stayed on as Chamberlain’s Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS). This meant he was the prime minister’s assistant and the link between Chamberlain and other Members of Parliament. Dunglass was good at handling people and keeping Chamberlain informed about what MPs thought, something Chamberlain himself struggled with.
• Dunglass travelled with Chamberlain to the Munich Conference in 1938, where Britain agreed to some of Hitler’s demands in Czechoslovakia to avoid war. Chamberlain returned to London and gave his famous speech saying he had secured ‘peace for our time’. Dunglass knew the peace would not last, but he still supported trying to delay the war. 
• Chamberlain stayed as prime minister when the Second World War began in 1939 but stepped down in 1940 after losing support. Dunglass remained as his assistant in the new coalition government, choosing not to take a ministerial job. Even though Chamberlain’s reputation suffered because of Munich, Dunglass was largely unaffected and later said the agreement had helped Britain prepare for war.
• After Chamberlain left office, Dunglass tried to rejoin the army with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry. A medical check showed he had tuberculosis in his spine, which created a hole in the bone. Without surgery, he would have lost the ability to walk. In September 1940, he had a long, dangerous operation where the sick bone was replaced with healthy bone from his leg.
• The next two years were very hard. Dunglass had to lie flat on his back in a plaster cast most of the time. He admitted that he sometimes felt he could not go on, but his wife and family supported him. In late 1942, he was fitted with a spinal brace, and by early 1943 he could move again. 
• In July 1943, Dunglass returned to the House of Commons. In 1945, when Labour left the wartime coalition, Churchill formed a temporary Conservative government. Dunglass got his first ministerial job as Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office, working under Anthony Eden. 

Postwar Career and Ministerial Posts (1950–1960)

• In 1950, Dunglass ran again for Parliament as the Unionist candidate for Lanark. During the campaign, he reminded voters that his Labour opponent, Tom Steele, had been helped by the Communist Party in 1945. With the Cold War starting, this made Steele look bad. Dunglass narrowly won the seat, with 19,890 votes to 19,205. Labour still won the national election.
• In July 1951, his father, the 13th Earl of Home, passed away. Dunglass inherited the title, becoming the 14th Earl of Home, and also inherited the family estates, including The Hirsel, their main home. This meant he moved to the House of Lords, and a by-election was planned for Lanark. But before it happened, another general election was called in October 1951. The Unionists kept Lanark, and Churchill’s Conservatives won a small majority.
• Douglas-Home was made Minister of State at the Scottish Office, a mid-level job under Secretary James Stuart. He handled Scottish matters like farming in the hills, hydro-electric projects, road and sea transport, forestry, and the welfare of crofters. He also became a member of the Privy Council, an honour for senior ministers.
• When Anthony Eden became prime minister in 1955, Douglas-Home joined the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations. He had not been to the countries under his responsibility, so he quickly visited Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India, Pakistan and Ceylon.
• During the Suez Crisis in 1956, some Commonwealth countries supported Britain’s actions in Egypt, while others opposed them. Douglas-Home worked hard to keep the Commonwealth united, using his skill and personal contacts. Even though the invasion failed under US pressure, he helped maintain good relations between the countries.
• When Eden resigned in 1957, Harold Macmillan became prime minister. Douglas-Home stayed in the Commonwealth office and handled issues in Africa, like the Central African Federation and Bechuanaland and Nyasaland. He also helped with India-Pakistan problems and assisted people moving from Britain to Australia. One key event was the release of Archbishop Makarios in Cyprus, which gave Douglas-Home more responsibility. Macmillan made him Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Lords, so he ran government business in the upper house. 

Foreign Secretary (1960–1963)

• In 1960, Douglas-Home was appointed foreign secretary by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. This was unusual because the foreign secretary was normally a member of the House of Commons, but Douglas-Home was a member of the House of Lords. To solve this, Macmillan also appointed Edward Heath as Lord Privy Seal and deputy foreign secretary. Heath, as a Commons member, handled most of the parliamentary work and the European Economic Community negotiations, while Douglas-Home focused on overall foreign policy.
• Douglas-Home’s appointment was controversial. The opposition Labour Party, led by Hugh Gaitskell, called it ‘constitutionally objectionable’ for a peer to run the Foreign Office. Macmillan defended Douglas-Home, saying the country should not be denied the services of the ‘best man for the job’. 
• Much of Douglas-Home’s time as foreign secretary was spent on Cold War issues. He strongly opposed communism but was practical in dealing with the Soviet Union. In 1961, when the Berlin Wall was built, he focused on keeping Western access to West Berlin rather than threatening war over the wall itself. The Western allies eventually agreed on a common approach, and Douglas-Home played a key role in reaching consensus.