Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}

{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}

The '''secretary of state for Commonwealth relations''' was a [[Secretary of State (United Kingdom)|secretary of state]] in the [[Government of the United Kingdom]], responsible for dealing with the [[United Kingdom|United Kingdom's]] relations with members of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] (its former colonies). The minister's department was the '''Commonwealth Relations Office''' (CRO).

The position was created in 1947 out of the old positions of [[Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs|secretary of state for dominion affairs]] and [[Secretary of State for India|secretary of state for India]]. In 1966, the position was merged with that of the [[Secretary of State for the Colonies|secretary of state for the colonies]] to form that of [[Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs|secretary of state for Commonwealth affairs]], which was in turn merged with the [[Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (UK)|secretary of state for foreign affairs]] in 1968 to create the new position of [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs]]. The equivalent position today is the [[Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs|secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs]].

==Secretaries of state for Commonwealth relations, 1947–1966==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:Center;"

! colspan=2| Portrait

! Name

! colspan=2 | Term of office

! Political party

! colspan=2 | Ministry

|-

| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |

| [[Image:Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison.jpg|75px]]

| [[Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison|Christopher Addison<br>'''The Viscount Addison''']]

| <small>7 July</small><br>1947

| <small>7 October</small><br>1947

| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]

| rowspan=3 style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |

| rowspan=3 | [[Attlee ministry|Attlee<br><small>(I & II)</small>]]

|-

| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |

| [[Image:Philip Noel-Baker 1942.jpg|75px]]

| [[Philip Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker|'''Philip Noel-Baker''']]<br><small>MP for [[Derby (UK Parliament constituency)|Derby]]</small>

| <small>7 October</small><br>1947

| <small>28 February</small><br>1950

| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]

|-

| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |

| [[Image:Patrick Gordon Walker.jpg|75px]]

| '''[[Patrick Gordon Walker]]'''<br><small>MP for [[Smethwick (UK Parliament constituency)|Smethwick]]</small>

| <small>28 February</small><br>1950

| <small>26 October</small><br>1951

| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]

|-

| style="background-color: {{party color|Independent (politician)}}" |

| [[Image:Ismay cropped.jpg|75px]]

| [[Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay|General Hastings Ismay<br>'''The Lord Ismay''']]

| <small>28 October</small><br>1951

| <small>12 March</small><br>1952

| –

| rowspan=3 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

| rowspan=3 | [[Third Churchill ministry|Churchill III]]

|-

| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

| [[Image:Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 1947.jpg|75px]]

| [[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury|Robert Gascoyne-Cecil<br>'''The Marquess of Salisbury''']]

| <small>12 March</small><br>1952

| <small>24 November</small><br>1952

| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]

|-

| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

| [[Image:Lord Swinton.jpg|75px]]

| [[Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Earl of Swinton|Philip Cunliffe-Lister<br>'''The Viscount Swinton''']]

| <small>24 November</small><br>1952

| <small>7 April</small><br>1955

| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]

|-

| rowspan=2 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

| rowspan=2 | [[Image:Alec Douglas-Home (c1963).jpg|75px]]

| rowspan=2 | [[Alec Douglas-Home|Alec Douglas-Home<br>'''The Earl of Home''']]

| rowspan=2 | <small>7 April</small><br>1955

| rowspan=2 | <small>27 July</small><br>1960

| rowspan=2 | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]

| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

| [[Eden ministry|Eden]]

|-

| rowspan=2 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

| rowspan=2 | [[Conservative government, 1957–1964|Macmillan<br><small>(I & II)</small>]]

|-

| rowspan=2 style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

| rowspan=2 | [[Image:Duncan Sandys 1975.png|75px]]

| rowspan=2 | '''[[Duncan Sandys]]'''<br><small>MP for [[Streatham (UK Parliament constituency)|Streatham]]</small>

| rowspan=2 | <small>27 July</small><br>1960

| rowspan=2 | <small>16 October</small><br>1964

| rowspan=2 | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]

|-

| style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

| [[Conservative government, 1957–1964|Douglas-Home]]

|-

| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |

| [[Image:Arthur_Bottomley_MP.jpg|75px]]

| '''[[Arthur Bottomley]]'''<br><small>MP for [[Middlesbrough East (UK Parliament constituency)|Middlesbrough East]]</small>

| <small>18 October</small><br>1964

| <small>1 August</small><br>1966

| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]

| style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |

| [[Labour government, 1964–1970|Wilson<br>{{small|(I & II)}}]]

|-

|}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Secretary Of State for Commonwealth Relations}}

[[Category:1966 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]