William Maxwell "Max" Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook
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The Right Honourable The Lord Beaverbrook PC, ONB |
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Lord Beaverbrook in 1943
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| Lord Privy Seal | |
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In office 1943–1945 |
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| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | Viscount Cranborne |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Greenwood |
| Minister of War Production | |
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In office 4 February 1942 – 19 February 1942 |
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| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Oliver Lyttelton (as Minister of Production) |
| Minister of Supply | |
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In office 29 June 1941 – 4 February 1942 |
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| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | Sir Andrew Duncan |
| Succeeded by | Sir Andrew Duncan |
| Minister of Aircraft Production | |
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In office 14 May 1940 – 1 May 1941 |
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| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | John Moore-Brabazon |
| Minister of Information | |
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In office 10 February – 4 November 1918 |
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| Prime Minister | David Lloyd George |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Downham |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | |
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In office 10 February – 4 November 1918 |
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| Prime Minister | David Lloyd George |
| Preceded by | Sir Frederick Cawley |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Downham |
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Member of Parliament for Ashton under Lyne |
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In office 3 December 1910 – 23 December 1916 |
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| Preceded by | Alfred Scott |
| Succeeded by | Albert Stanley |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Maxwell Aitken 25 May 1879 Maple, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 9 June 1964 (aged 85) Surrey, England, UK |
| Political party |
Liberal Unionist Conservative |
| Occupation | Legislator, author, entrepreneur |
William Maxwell "Max" Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, PC, ONB, (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964) was a Canadian-British business tycoon, politician, newspaper publisher, and writer who was an influential figure in British society of the first half of the 20th century.
The young Max Aitken had a gift for making money and was a millionaire by 30. His business ambitions quickly exceeded opportunities in Canada and he moved to Britain. There he befriended Andrew Bonar Law and with his support won a seat in the House of Commons at the general election held in December 1910. A knighthood followed shortly after. During World War I, he ran the Canadian Records office in London and played a role in the removal of H. H. Asquith as prime minister in 1916. The resulting Tory-led coalition government (with Lloyd George as prime minister and Bonar Law as Chancellor of the Exchequer), rewarded Aitken with a peerage and, briefly, a Cabinet post as Minister of Information.
Post-war, the now Lord Beaverbrook concentrated on his business interests. He built the Daily Express into the most successful mass circulation newspaper in the world and used it to pursue personal campaigns, most notably for tariff reform and for the British Empire to become a free trade bloc. Beaverbrook supported appeasement throughout the 1930s but was persuaded by another long standing political friend, Winston Churchill, to serve as Minister of Aircraft Production in 1940. After numerous clashes with other Cabinet members he resigned in 1941 but later in the war was appointed Lord Privy Seal. Beaverbrook spent his later life running his newspapers, which by then included the London Evening Standard and the Sunday Express. He served as Chancellor of the University of New Brunswick and developed a reputation as a historian with his books on political and military history.
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