Ernest Brown Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Alfred Ernest Brown (1881-1962) was a British politician who served as leader of the Liberal Nationals from 1940 until 1945.He was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament for Rugby in the 1923 general election but lost his in the 1924 general election. In 1927 he returned to Parliament in a by-election at Leith. During this time he became a devote follower of Sir John Simon as the latter became increasinly at odds with the leader of the Liberals, David Lloyd George, and the party's support for the minority Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald. In 1931 he followed Simon in resigning the Liberal party whip and then subsequently in setting up the Liberal Nationals.
In the National Government of Ramsay MacDonald, Brown became Parliamentery Secretary to the Ministry of Health in November 1931. The following year the official Liberals resigned from the government and Brown was promoted to become Secretary for Mines. In 1935 when MacDonald was succeeded as Prime Minister by Stanley Baldwin, Brown entered the Cabinet as Minister of Labour. This proved controversial as many believed that the Minister of Transport Leslie Hore-Belisha, had a stronger claim to be the next Liberal National to enter the Cabinet, though as unemployment was one of the government's biggest problems, many others felt that Brown's appointment to the job was not one to envy. He held the post for the next five years under both Baldwin and his successor, Neville Chamberlain.
When Chamberlain fell in 1940 he was succeeded by Winston Churchill who moved Brown to the position of Secretary of State for Scotland. At the same time Brown became the leader of the Liberal Nationals after Sir John Simon was transferred to the House of Lords. Brown served as Secretary of State for Scotland for a year before becoming Minister of Health for two years and finally Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. By this point the Liberal Nationals were in decline in influence, and when in 1945 Churchill formed his "Caretaker" government he did not include Brown or any other senior Liberal Nationals in the Cabinet, despite claiming to head a "National" administration. Brown was instead appointed Minister of Aircraft Production. In the 1945 general election Brown lost his seat.
Brown had a reputation for being a fast speaker and many contemporary political commentators estimated that he could deliver a statement to the House of Commons faster than any other minister.
| Preceded by: Oliver Stanley | Minister of Labour 1935-1940 | Followed by: Ernest Bevin |
| Preceded by: John Colville | Secretary of State for Scotland 1941-1941 | Followed by: Thomas Johnston |
| Preceded by: Malcolm MacDonald | Minister of Health 1941-1943 | Followed by: Henry Willink |
| Preceded by: Duff Cooper | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1943-1945 | Followed by: James Arthur Salter |
| Preceded by: Stafford Cripps | Minister of Aircraft Production 1945 | Followed by: Position abolished |
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