The Viscount Head | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Secretary of State for War | |
| In office 31 October 1951 – 18 October 1956 | |
| Monarchs | George VI Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill Anthony Eden |
| Preceded by | John Strachey |
| Succeeded by | John Hare |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 18 October 1956 – 9 January 1957 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | SirAnthony Eden |
| Preceded by | Walter Monckton |
| Succeeded by | Duncan Sandys |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Antony Henry Head 19 December 1906 (1906-12-19) London, England |
| Died | 29 March 1983(1983-03-29) (aged 76) Bishopstone, Salisbury, England |
| Party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Lady Dorothea Ashley-Cooper |
| Alma mater | Royal Military College, Sandhurst |
Antony Henry Head, 1st Viscount Head, (19 December 1906 – 29 March 1983) was a British soldier,Conservative politician and diplomat.
Head was born in London on 19 December 1906, the son of Geoffrey Head and Ethel Daisy, daughter of Arthur Flower.[1] He was educated atLudgrove School,[2]Eton and theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst.[1]
A career soldier, Head was commissioned a second lieutenant in the15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars on 30 August 1926.[3] He later joined theLife Guards, serving through theSecond World War and achieving the rank ofbrigadier. He was awarded theMilitary Cross (MC) on 20 December 1940.[4] He was part of the British delegation to thePotsdam Conference.[1]
Head was electedConservative MP forCarshalton in 1945.[1] He served asSecretary of State for War from 1951 to 1956 and asMinister of Defence (with a seat in the cabinet) from 1956 to 1957,[5] in the administrations ofWinston Churchill andAnthony Eden. He was sworn of thePrivy Council in 1951 and in 1960 he was raised to the peerage asViscount Head, of Throope in the County of Wiltshire.[6]
He was laterHigh Commissioner to Nigeria from 1960 to 1963 andHigh Commissioner to Malaysia from 1963 to 1966, where he unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate Singapore's continued status as part of Malaysia. In line with British foreign policy, he advocated for a peaceful and constitutional solution to the tensions between Malaysia and Singapore according to Singaporean leaderLee Kuan Yew.[7] He was knighted as a Knight Commander of theOrder of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the1961 New Year Honours[8] and promoted to be Knight Grand Cross (GCMG) in 1963.[9]
Head married Dorothea Louise (1907–1987), daughter ofAnthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, on 23 July 1935.[1] They had four children. Head lived at Throope Manor inBishopstone, Salisbury, and died there on 29 March 1983, aged 76.[1] He was succeeded in the viscountcy by his eldest son,Richard Antony Head, 2nd Viscount Head.[1]
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{{cite book}}:Check|archive-url= value (help)| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forCarshalton 1945–1960 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by None | High Commissioner to Nigeria 1960–1963 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | British High Commissioner to Malaysia 1963–1966 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for War 1951–1956 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Defence 1956–1957 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Viscount Head 1960–1983 | Succeeded by |
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