James Grigg
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The Right Honourable Sir James Grigg KCB KCSI |
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| Secretary of State for War | |
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In office 22 February 1942 – 26 July 1945 |
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| Monarch | George VI |
| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | David Margesson |
| Succeeded by | Jack Lawson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
16 December 1890 Exmouth, Devon |
| Died | 5 May 1964 |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
Sir Percy James Grigg, KCB, KCSI, PC (16 December 1890 – 5 May 1964), better known as Sir James Grigg, was a British civil servant who was unexpectedly moved - at the behest of his patron Winston Churchill - from being the Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the War Office to become Secretary of State for War, the political head of the same department during the Second World War.
The son of Frank Alfred Grigg, a carpenter, Grigg was born in Exmouth and won a scholarship to Bournemouth School and St John's College, Cambridge where he studied mathematics, achieving first-class honours in both parts of his tripos.
In 1913 he came first in the civil service examination and he served in the Treasury. During the First World War he served in the Royal Garrison Artillery. After the war he returned to the Treasury and in 1921 he became Principal Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, serving several successive Chancellors including Winston Churchill. He held this post until 1930 when he became Chairman of the Board of Customs and Excise and Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue. In 1934 he was transferred to New Delhi, India, where he became Finance Member of the Government of India in anticipation of limited self-rule that began in 1935. He remained in New Delhi until 1939. Grigg continued to influence British imperial policies on India especially after his patron Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. In 1939 Grigg became Permanent Under-Secretary of State for War and oversaw a turbulent department, which in 1940 witnessed no less than four different Secretaries of State (Leslie Hore-Belisha, Oliver Stanley, Anthony Eden and David Margesson).
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