Douglas King (politician)

Commodore The Right Honourable Douglas King CB, CBE, PC, DSO, VD
Financial Secretary to the War Office
In office 11 November 1924 – 13 January 1928
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by	Jack Lawson
Succeeded by	Duff Cooper
Secretary for Mines
In office 13 January 1928 – 4 June 1929
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by	George Lane-Fox
Succeeded by	Ben Turner
Personal details
Born	1 June 1877
Died	20 August 1930
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative

Commodore Henry Douglas King CB, CBE, PC, DSO, VD (1 June 1877 – 20 August 1930), known as Douglas King, was a British naval commander and Conservative politician. He served under Stanley Baldwin as Financial Secretary to the War Office between 1924 and 1928 and as Secretary for Mines between 1928 and 1929.

Early life

King was initially in the mercantile navy, then served in the Royal Navy before joining P & O. He left the sea in 1899 and took up farming for a short while. However, he soon turned to studying law and was called to the Bar, Middle Temple, in 1905. He stood as the Conservative candidate for Norfolk North in the two general elections of 1910, but was defeated on both occasions. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 he obtained a commission in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and served at the Siege of Antwerp and Gallipoli.^[1] He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in recognition of his services at Gallipoli in 1915.^[2] He was also given the French Croix de Guerre^[1] and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919.^[3]

Political career

At the 1918 general election King once again stood for Norfolk North and was this time elected.^[4] In parliament he initially served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sir Leslie Wilson, Chairman of the National Maritime Board, and then to Sir Hamar Greenwood, the Chief Secretary for Ireland. In 1921 he was appointed a Conservative whip. The following year he was returned to parliament for Paddington South^[5] and entered the government under Andrew Bonar Law as a Lord of the Treasury (government whip),^[6] a position he held until January 1924, the last year under the premiership of Stanley Baldwin. When the Conservatives returned to office in November 1924, King was made Financial Secretary to the War Office and a member of the Army Council.^[7] He held this post until 1928, and was then Secretary for Mines until the Baldwin administration fell in 1929. The latter year he was also sworn of the Privy Council.^[8] He had previously been made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1927.^[9]

Personal life

King married the only daughter of W. R. Swan, of Adelaide, Australia.^[1] On 20 August 1930 King's cutter yacht Islander sank in a gale off Fowey, Cornwall. All six aboard, including King himself, were lost.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Evening Post, 6 July 1929
2. ^ London Gazette: no. 29358. p. 11929. 5 November 1915.
3. ^ London Gazette: no. 31118. p. 512. 10 January 1919.
4. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 2)
5. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "P" (part 1)
6. ^ London Gazette: no. 32776. p. 8793. 12 December 1922.
7. ^ London Gazette: no. 33001. p. 9057. 12 December 1924.
8. ^ London Gazette: no. 33512. p. 4354. 29 June 1929.
9. ^ London Gazette: no. 33280. p. 3605. 31 May 1927.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Noel Buxton	Member of Parliament for Norfolk North 1918–1922	Succeeded by Noel Buxton
Preceded by Sir Henry Percy Harris	Member of Parliament for Paddington South 1922–1930	Succeeded by Sir Ernest Taylor
Political offices
Preceded by Jack Lawson	Financial Secretary to the War Office 1924–1928	Succeeded by Duff Cooper
Preceded by George Lane-Fox	Secretary for Mines 1928–1929	Succeeded by Ben Turner

Persondata
Name	King, Douglas
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1 June 1877
Place of birth
Date of death	20 August 1930
Place of death