William Peel, 1st Earl Peel

The Right Honourable The Earl Peel GCSIGBETDPCDL
Peel in 1910
Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
In office 3 September 1931 – 5 November 1931
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	Ramsay MacDonald
Preceded by	Tom Johnston
Succeeded by	The Viscount Snowden
Secretary of State for India
In office 18 October 1928 – 4 June 1929
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by	The Earl of Birkenhead
Succeeded by	William Wedgwood Benn
In office 19 March 1922 – 22 January 1924
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	David Lloyd George Bonar Law Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by	Edwin Montagu
Succeeded by	The Lord Olivier
First Commissioner of Works
In office 10 November 1924 – 18 October 1928
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by	Fred Jowett
Succeeded by	The Marquess of Londonderry
Minister of Transport
In office 7 November 1921 – 12 April 1922
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	David Lloyd George
Preceded by	Eric Geddes
Succeeded by	The Earl of Crawford
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 1 April 1921 – 19 March 1922
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	David Lloyd George
Preceded by	The Earl of Crawford
Succeeded by	William Sutherland
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War
In office 10 January 1919 – 1 April 1921
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	David Lloyd George
Preceded by	Ian Macpherson
Succeeded by	Robert Sanders
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of National Service
In office 15 April 1918 – 10 January 1919
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	David Lloyd George
Preceded by	Cecil Beck
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 24 October 1912 – 28 September 1937 as ahereditary peer
Preceded by	The 1st Viscount Peel
Succeeded by	The 2nd Earl Peel
Member of Parliament forTaunton
In office 23 February 1909 – 24 October 1912
Preceded by	Sir Edward Boyle
Succeeded by	Gilbert Wills
Member of Parliament forManchester South
In office 29 May 1900 – 8 February 1906
Preceded by	John Campbell
Succeeded by	Arthur Haworth
Personal details
Born	(1867-01-07)7 January 1867 London
Died	28 September 1937(1937-09-28)(aged 70) East Meon,nearPetersfield,Hampshire
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal Unionist Conservative
Spouse	Hon. Eleanor Williamson
Children	Doris Arthur
Parent	Arthur Peel, 1st Viscount Peel(father)
Alma mater	Balliol College, Oxford

William Robert Wellesley Peel, 1st Earl Peel,GCSI,GBE,TD,PC,DL(7 January 1867 – 28 September 1937), 2ndViscount Peelfrom 1912 to 1929, was a British politician who was a local councillor, aMember of Parliamentand a member of theHouse of Lords.After an early career as abarristerand ajournalist,he entered first local and then national politics. He rose to hold a number of ministerial positions but is probably best remembered for chairing thePeel Commissionin 1936–1937, which recommended for the first time the partition of theBritish Mandate of Palestineinto separate Jewish and Arab states.

The grandson of a Conservative prime minister, he was unusual even for his period in the number of political parties for which he was elected. He began as a member of the Moderate Party on theLondon County Counciland later became the leader of the renamedMunicipal Reform Party;he was then elected as an MP for theLiberal Unionistsand then for theConservative Partybefore he inherited his seat in the Lords in 1912. He also served as a minister in governments led by Liberal, Conservative and Labour prime ministers.

His ministerial career began asUnder-Secretary of State for Warin 1919, and he entered the cabinet in 1922 asSecretary of State for Indiaand held a number of other ministerial positions.

Early life and career

The eldest son ofArthur Peel, 1st Viscount Peel,and Adelaide Dugdale, William Peel was born inLondonin 1867. His father was the fifth and youngest son of Prime MinisterSir Robert Peel.

Peel was educated atHarrowandBalliol College, Oxford,where he was secretary of theOxford Union.

In 1893, he wascalled to the barat theInner Templeand practised as abarristerbefore taking the position of special correspondent for theDaily Telegraphduring theGreco-Turkish War of 1897.

Political career

In 1900, Peel was appointed a member of theRoyal Commissionthat was formed to inquire into the operation of thePort of London.In February the same year, he began his political career when he was elected in aby-electionto fill a vacant seat forWoolwichin theLondon County Councilto which he was re-elected in the ordinary election the following year. He was a member of the Moderate pro-Conservative grouping on the council that became theMunicipal Reform Party.He was leader of the party from 1908 to 1910 and chairman of the county council from 1914 to 1916.

Lord Peel at the entrance of theKing David Hotel,1936.

He began his parliamentary career when he was elected asLiberal UnionistMP forManchester Southat the1900 Manchester South by-election.At thenext general election in 1906,he stood unsuccessfully atHarrow.He returned to theCommonsin 1909, when he was elected asConservativeMP forTauntonat a by-election.He inherited his father's viscountcy in 1912 and so moved to theHouse of Lords.

Peel was appointed adeputy lieutenantofBedfordshireandlieutenant-colonelof theBedfordshire Yeomanryin 1912 and, at the outbreak of theFirst World Warmoved to France with his regiment, but ill health made him return to Britain in 1915. In 1918, he received his first government post as Joint Parliamentary Secretary at the Department of National Service in the coalition government ofDavid Lloyd George.In 1919, Peel becameUnder-Secretary of State for Warand a member of thePrivy Council.Two years later, he becameChancellor of the Duchy of LancasterandMinister for Transport.

He entered the cabinet in 1922 asSecretary of State for India,and, after the downfall of Lloyd George's coalition, continued to hold the post during the premierships ofAndrew Bonar LawandStanley Baldwin.The latter's government fell in January 1924, but after a brief spell in opposition, it was returned to power at the1924 general election.Peel was appointedFirst Commissioner of Worksin the Conservative administration formed by Baldwin. In 1928, Peel briefly returned to the India Office, but the Conservatives lost power by the1929 general election.

In 1929, Peel was createdViscount Clanfield,of Clanfield in the County of Southampton, andEarl Peelinthat year's Dissolution Honours.When a Conservative-dominatedNational Governmentwas formed after the1931 election,he becameLord Privy Sealbut held that office for only two months and left government in November.

In 1932, he was appointed chairman of the Wheat Commission, and in 1934, he chaired the Royal Commission on theCommon Law.In 1936–1937, he chaired thePeel Commission,which recommended for the first time the partition of theBritish Mandate of Palestineinto separate Jewish and Arab states.

Family

Peel married in 1899 the Honourable Eleanor Williamson (1871–1949), daughter ofJames Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton.They had two children:

• Lady Doris Peel (1900–1983), who married in 1927 Colonel Stewart Blacker (1887–1964), and had four children. She was aJustice of the Peacefor the County of London in 1939, and for Sussex in 1948.
• Arthur Peel, 2nd Earl Peel(1901–1969)

In 1929, Ashton died, and Peel succeeded him as chairman of James Williamson and Company. He was a director ofBarclays Bankand of theGreat Northern Railway.

Death

Lord Peel died at 70 in his home inEast Meon,nearPetersfield,Hampshire,in 1937 after a long illness.He was succeeded in his titles by his son,Arthur.

References

Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

External links

• Hansard1803–2005:contributions in Parliament by the Earl Peel