Secretary of State for Air



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
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! colspan=99 |

Chairman of the Joint War Air Committee, 1916
! colspan=3 rowspan=2| Chairman ! colspan=3| Term of office ! rowspan=2| Political party ! Took office ! Left office ! Time in office
 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * 17th Earl of Derby.jpg
 * Edward Stanley 17th Earl of Derby
 * February 1916
 * February 1916
 * Conservative
 * Conservative

! colspan=99 |

Presidents of the Air Board, 1916–1917
! colspan=3 rowspan=2| President ! colspan=3| Term of office ! rowspan=2| Political party ! Took office ! Left office ! Time in office


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * George Curzon2.jpg
 * George Curzon 1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston
 * 15 May 1916
 * 3 January 1917
 * 23 years, 3 months, 10 days
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * CowdrayViscount.jpg
 * Weetman Pearson 1st Viscount Cowdray
 * 3 January 1917
 * 26 November 1917
 * 23 years, 3 months, 10 days
 * Liberal

! colspan=99 |

Presidents of the Air Council, 1917–1919
! colspan=3 rowspan=2| President ! colspan=3| Term of office ! rowspan=2| Political party ! Took office ! Left office ! Time in office
 * Lord Rothermere.jpg
 * Harold Harmsworth 1st Baron Rothermere
 * 26 November 1917
 * 26 April 1918
 * Lord Weir LCCN2014707575 (cropped).jpg
 * William Weir 1st Baron Weir
 * 26 April 1918
 * 10 January 1919
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Jack Seely.jpg
 * J. E. B. Seely MP for Ilkeston
 * January 1919
 * November 1919
 * 24 years, 6 months, 5 days
 * Conservative
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Jack Seely.jpg
 * J. E. B. Seely MP for Ilkeston
 * January 1919
 * November 1919
 * 24 years, 6 months, 5 days
 * Conservative
 * 24 years, 6 months, 5 days
 * Conservative

! colspan=99 |

Secretaries of State for Air, 1919–1964
! colspan=3 rowspan=2| Secretary ! colspan=3| Term of office ! rowspan=2| Political party ! Took office ! Left office ! Time in office


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Churchill 1904 Q 42037.jpg
 * Winston Churchill MP for Dundee
 * 10 January 1919
 * 1 April 1921
 * 22 years, 9 months, 7 days
 * Liberal


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Frederick Edward Guest old photo-crop.jpg
 * Frederick Edward Guest MP for East Dorset
 * 1 April 1921
 * 19 October 1922
 * 23 years, 5 months, 16 days
 * Liberal


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Sir Samuel Hoare GGBain.jpg
 * Sir Samuel Hoare MP for Chelsea
 * 31 October 1922
 * 22 January 1924
 * Conservative
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * LordBirdwood.jpg
 * Christopher Thomson 1st Baron Thomson
 * 22 January 1924
 * 3 November 1924
 * Labour
 * Labour


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Sir Samuel Hoare GGBain.jpg
 * Sir Samuel Hoare MP for Chelsea
 * 6 November 1924
 * 4 June 1929
 * 23 years, 1 month, 1 day
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * LordBirdwood.jpg
 * Christopher Thomson 1st Baron Thomson
 * 7 June 1929
 * 5 October 1930†
 * 23 years
 * Labour


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Sir Wm. MacKenzie LCCN2014717249.jpg
 * William Mackenzie 1st Baron Amulree
 * 14 October 1930
 * 5 November 1931
 * Labour
 * Labour


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Charles (Charlie) Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry.jpg
 * Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart 7th Marquess of Londonderry
 * 5 November 1931
 * 7 June 1935
 * 23 years, 1 month, 29 days
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Lord Swinton.jpg
 * Philip Cunliffe-Lister 1st Viscount Swinton
 * 7 June 1935
 * 16 May 1938
 * 22 years, 11 months, 24 days
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Kingsley Wood cropped.jpg
 * Sir Kingsley Wood MP for Woolwich West
 * 16 May 1938
 * 3 April 1940
 * Conservative
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Sir Samuel Hoare GGBain.jpg
 * Sir Samuel Hoare MP for Chelsea
 * 3 April 1940
 * 11 May 1940
 * 23 years, 3 months, 25 days
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * The Air Ministry, 1939-1945. CH10270 – Edit 1.jpg
 * Sir Archibald Sinclair MP for Caithness and Sutherland
 * 11 May 1940
 * 23 May 1945
 * 22 years, 7 months, 13 days
 * Liberal


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Harold Macmillan in 1942.jpg
 * Harold Macmillan MP for Stockton-on-Tees
 * 25 May 1945
 * 26 July 1945
 * Conservative
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * William Wedgewood-Benn.jpg
 * William Wedgwood Benn 1st Viscount Stansgate
 * 3 August 1945
 * 4 October 1946
 * 23 years, 4 months, 2 days
 * Labour


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Philip Noel-Baker 1942.jpg
 * Philip Noel-Baker MP for Derby
 * 4 October 1946
 * 7 October 1947
 * 23 years, 2 months, 29 days
 * Labour


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Arthur Henderson MP for Kingswinford before 1950 MP for Rowley Regis and Tipton after 1950
 * 7 October 1947
 * 26 October 1951
 * 22 years, 11 months, 14 days
 * Labour
 * Labour


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Lord De L'Isle.jpg
 * William Sidney 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley
 * 31 October 1951
 * 20 December 1955
 * Conservative
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Nigel Birch MP for West Flintshire
 * 20 December 1955
 * 16 January 1957
 * Conservative
 * Conservative
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * No image.svg
 * George Ward MP for Worcester
 * 16 January 1957
 * 28 October 1960
 * Conservative
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Julian Amery 1965-11-10 (cropped).jpg
 * Julian Amery MP for Preston North
 * 28 October 1960
 * 16 July 1962
 * Conservative
 * Conservative


 * - style="height:1em"
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Blank.svg
 * Hugh Fraser MP for Stafford and Stone
 * 16 July 1962
 * 1 April 1964
 * Conservative
 * Conservative


 * }