The Lord Somervell of Harrow | |
|---|---|
 Somervell in 1945 byWalter Stoneman | |
| Lord of Appeal in Ordinary | |
| In office 4 October 1954 – 6 January 1960 | |
| Preceded by | The Lord Asquith of Bishopstone |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Morris of Borth-y-Gest |
| Home Secretary | |
| In office 25 May 1945 – 26 July 1945 | |
| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | Herbert Morrison |
| Succeeded by | James Chuter Ede |
| Attorney-General for England | |
| In office 18 March 1936 – 25 May 1945 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Sir Thomas Inskipp |
| Succeeded by | Sir David Maxwell Fyfe |
| Solicitor-General for England | |
| In office 29 September 1933 – 19 March 1936 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Sir Boyd Merriman |
| Succeeded by | Sir Terence O'Connor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 August 1889 (1889-08-24) Harrow on the Hill, London, England |
| Died | 18 November 1960 (1960-11-19) (aged 71) Marylebone, London, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
Donald Bradley Somervell, Baron Somervell of Harrow,OBE PC (24 August 1889 – 18 November 1960) was a Britishbarrister, judge andConservative Party politician. He served asSolicitor General andAttorney General from 1933 to 1945 and was brieflyHome Secretary inWinston Churchill's 1945caretaker government.
Somervell was the son of Robert Somervell, master and bursar ofHarrow School. His father taught English toWinston Churchill.[1] He was educated at Harrow before reading Chemistry with ademyship atMagdalen College, Oxford, graduating with a First in 1911. In 1912 he was elected a prize fellow ofAll Souls College, Oxford, the first chemist to be elected.[2] He then joined theInner Temple, but his legal training was interrupted by the outbreak of theFirst World War. Commissioned into theBritish Army, he served with theMiddlesex Regiment and the53rd Brigade in India and Mesopotamia. For his war service, he was appointedOBE in 1919.[2]
Having beencalled to the barin absentia in 1916, he completed his pupillage and practiced in the chambers ofWilliam Jowitt, specialising in commercial law matters arising out of theTreaty of Versailles.[2] He becameKing's Counsel in 1929.[3]
In 1929 he entered politics. Although supporting theLiberal Party by inclination, its decline and his admiration for Prime MinisterStanley Baldwin led him to join theConservative Party. He stood unsuccessfully forCrewe in the1929 general election. He won the seat in the1931 election and held it for 14 years.
In 1933, he becameSolicitor General,[4] receiving the customaryknighthood,[5] followed three years later by a promotion toAttorney General. In the latter post, he served for nine years during which he oversaw crises such as theAbdication Crisis of Edward VIII. He was the longest-serving Attorney General since 1754.[citation needed] He was sworn of thePrivy Council in the1938 Birthday Honours.[6] He wasRecorder ofKingston upon Thames from 1940 to 1946.[2]
In 1945, he was brieflyHome Secretary inWinston Churchill'scaretaker government. Both the government and Somervell were defeated inthat year's general election.
In 1946, Somervell was made aLord Justice of Appeal byClement Attlee. In 1951 Churchill returned to power but passed over Somervell's claims to theLord Chancellorship.[2] On 4 October 1954 Somervell became aLord of Appeal in Ordinary and, as aLaw Lord, he received alife peerage asBaron Somervell of Harrow, ofEwelme in theCounty of Oxford.[7] He retired in 1960, shortly before his death.
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Somervell married Loelia Helen Buchan-Hepburn, daughter of Sir Archibald Buchan-Hepburn, 4th Baronet, in 1933. She died in July 1945, aged 48. Somervell survived her by fifteen years and died in November 1960, aged 71. His grave can be found in the grounds of Saint Mary's Church in Ewelme, opposite that of the writerJerome K. Jerome.
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCrewe 1931–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Solicitor-General for England 1933–1936 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Attorney-General for England 1936–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Home Secretary 1945 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
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