The Right Honourable The Earl of Woolton CH PC
Portrait byYousuf Karsh
Minister of Materials
In office 1 September 1953 – 16 August 1954
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill
Preceded by	Arthur Salter
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 24 November 1952 – 20 December 1955
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill Anthony Eden
Preceded by	The Viscount Swinton
Succeeded by	The Earl of Selkirk
Lord President of the Council
In office 28 October 1951 – 24 November 1952
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill
Preceded by	The Viscount Addison
Succeeded by	The Marquess of Salisbury
In office 28 May 1945 – 27 July 1945
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill
Preceded by	Clement Attlee
Succeeded by	Herbert Morrison
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office 1 July 1946 – 1 November 1955
Leader	Winston Churchill Anthony Eden
Preceded by	Ralph Assheton
Succeeded by	Oliver Poole
Minister of Reconstruction
In office 11 November 1943 – 23 May 1945
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Minister of Food
In office 3 April 1940 – 11 November 1943
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill
Preceded by	William Morrison
Succeeded by	John Llewellin
Member of theHouse of Lords
Lord Temporal
Hereditary peerage 7 July 1939 – 14 December 1964
Succeeded by	The 2nd Earl of Woolton
Personal details
Born	Frederick James Marquis (1883-08-23)23 August 1883 Ordsall,Salford, Lancashire, England
Died	14 December 1964(1964-12-14) (aged 81) Arundel, Sussex, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Maud Smith ​ ​ (m. 1912; died 1961)​ Margaret Thomas ​ (m. 1962)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Victoria University of Manchester
Occupation	Businessman, politician

Frederick James Marquis, 1st Earl of Woolton,CH, PC (23 August 1883 – 14 December 1964), was an Englishbusinessman andpolitician who served aschairman of the Conservative Party from 1946 to 1955.

In April 1940, he was appointedMinister of Food and established therationing system. During this time, he maintained food imports from America and organised a programme of free school meals. The vegetarianWoolton pie was named after Woolton, as one of the recipes commended to the British public due to a shortage of meat, fish, and dairy products during theSecond World War. In 1943, Woolton was appointedMinister of Reconstruction, planning forpost-war Britain.

Woolton was born at 163 West Park Street inOrdsall,Salford,Lancashire, in 1883. He was the only surviving child of a saddler, Thomas Robert Marquis (1857–1944), and his wife, Margaret Marquis,née Ormerod (1854–1923). He was educated atArdwick Higher Elementary School, atManchester Grammar School and at theUniversity of Manchester from which he graduated with aBSc in 1906.

Woolton was an active member of theUnitarian Church. He was active in social work inLiverpool (1906–1918).^[1]

Woolton hoped to pursue an academic career in the social sciences, but his wish was frustrated by his family's financial circumstances, and he became a mathematics teacher atBurnley Grammar School. He was forced to turn down a research fellowship in Sociology at theUniversity of London but was elected a research fellow in Economics at the University of Manchester in 1910, where he took the degree ofMA in 1912.^[1]

Having been judged unfit for military service in theFirst World War, Woolton became a civil servant, first in theWar Office, then at the Leather Control Board, where he served as a civilian boot controller. At the end of the war, he became secretary of the Boot Manufacturers' Federation, joiningLewis's department store in Liverpool, where he was an executive (1928–1951), becoming director in 1928 and chairman in 1936.^[1] In 1938, he responded to theAnschluss by announcing that his stores would boycottNazi German goods. Despite public support, he was reprimanded byHorace Wilson on behalf ofNeville Chamberlain'sNational Government for diverging from itsEuropean policy ofappeasement.^[2]

Woolton wasknighted in 1935 and was raised to the peerage in 1939 for his contribution to British industry. Despite his wishes,Garter King of Arms informed him that it was not possible to take the title ofBaron Marquis (because "Marquess", or "Marquis", constitutes arank ofBritish peerages), so he was createdBaron Woolton after the Liverpool suburb ofWoolton in which he had lived. He subsequently served on several government committees (including the Cadman Committee). He refused to affiliate himself with any political party.^[1]

In April 1940, Woolton was appointed asMinister of Food byNeville Chamberlain, one of several ministerial appointments from outside politics. Woolton retained this position until 1943. He supervised 50,000 employees and over a thousand local offices where people could obtainration cards. His ministry had a virtual monopoly of all food sold in Britain, whether imported or local. His mission was to guarantee adequate nutrition for everyone. With food supplies cut sharply because of enemy action and the needs of the services,rationing was essential. Woolton and his advisors had one scheme in mind, but economists convinced them to instead try point rationing.^[1] Everyone would have a certain number of points a month that they could allocate any way they wanted. The experimental approach to food rationing has been considered successful; indeed, food rationing was a major success story in Britain's war.^[3]

In late June 1940, with aGerman invasion threatened, Woolton reassured the public that emergency food stocks were in place that would last "for weeks and weeks" even if the shipping could not get through. He said "iron rations" were stored for use only in great emergency. Other rations were stored in the outskirts of cities liable to German bombing.^[4] Whenthe Blitz began in late summer 1940, he was ready with more than 200 feeding stations in London and other cities under attack.^[5]

Woolton had the task of overseeing rationing due to wartime shortages. He took the view that it was insufficient to merely impose restrictions but that a programme of advertising to support it was also required. He warned thatmeat andcheese, as well asbacon andeggs, were in very short supply and would remain that way. Calling for a simpler diet, he noted that there was plenty ofbread,potatoes,vegetable oils, fats, andmilk.^[6]

By January 1941, the usual overseas food supply had fallen in half. By 1942, however, ample food supplies were arriving throughLend Lease from the U.S. and a similar Canadian programme. Worried about children, he made sure that by 1942 Britain was providing 650,000 children with freeschool meals; about 3,500,000 children received milk at school, in addition to priority supplies at home. However, hisnational loaf ofwholemealbrown bread replaced the ordinarywhite variety, to the distaste of most housewives.^[7] Children learned that sweets supplies were reduced to save shipping space.^[8]

Woolton keptfood prices down by subsidizing eggs and other items. He promoted recipes that worked well with the rationing system, including the "Woolton pie," which consisted ofcarrots,parsnips, potatoes, andturnips inoatmeal, with a pastry or potato crust, and served withbrown gravy. Woolton's business skills made the Ministry of Food's job a success, and he earned a strong personal popularity despite the shortages.^[9][10]

Sworn of thePrivy Council in 1940, Lord Woolton was appointed aCompanion of Honour in 1942. In 1943, Woolton joined theWar Cabinet asMinister of Reconstruction, taking charge of the difficult task of planning forpost-war Britain and in this role, he appeared on the cover ofTime on the issue of 26 March 1945.^[11] In May 1945, he was a member ofWinston Churchill's "Caretaker" Government asLord President of the Council.

In July 1945, Churchill lost the1945 general election, and his government fell. The next day, Woolton joined theConservative Party and was soon appointedparty chairman, with the job of improving the party's organisation in the country and revitalising it for future elections. Under Woolton, many sweeping reforms were carried out, and when the Conservatives returned to government in 1951, Woolton served in the Cabinet for the next four years.

Woolton rebuilt the local organisations with an emphasis on membership, money, and a unified national propaganda appeal on critical issues. To broaden the base of potential candidates, the national party provided financial aid to candidates and assisted the local organisations in raising local money. Woolton also proposed changing the name of the party to the Union Party and later emphasised a rhetoric that characterised opponents as "Socialist" rather than "Labour".^[12] He was given credit for the Conservative victory in1951, their first since 1935.^[13]

In May 1950, Woolton, with Churchill's approval, called for a form ofcoalition with theLiberal Party based on nine principles he said they agreed upon:^[14]

1. Opposition to "the over-encroaching power of the State over the lives of individuals and of the processes which this commercial nation lives"
2. Opposition to thenationalisation of themeans of production, distribution and exchange, "which is the creed of socialism";
3. Opposition to "thecentralisation of government in Whitehall and the weakening of the influence oflocal authorities";
4. Belief in "the establishment, underprivate enterprise, of partnership in industry, whereby all ranks engaged in it shall … share in the increased yield that comes from greater effort or increased skill";
5. Belief in the maintenance of a high and stable level ofemployment,
6. Belief that "the best purposes of the State are served when there is economy in public administration and when Government conducted with rigorous avoidance of waste";
7. Belief in high standards ofhealth,housing, andeducation, coupled withreligious freedom;
8. Recognition of the national duty of maintaining sufficient defense forces, of the danger of militantCommunism, and of the necessity for close economic and political cooperation withAmerica andWestern Europe;
9. "Tolerance, comradeship and unity among all classes."

The Liberal leadership rejected the coalition proposal as one that the Conservatives would control. Labour had recently narrowly won the1950 general election. The Conservatives without Liberal help won the1951 general election.

In the1953 Coronation Honours, he elevated asViscount Woolton^[15][16] and, in 1956, he was advanced asEarl of Woolton taking thesubsidiary titleViscount Walberton.^[17]

In November 1945, Woolton gave his inaugural address asPresident of theRoyal Statistical Society.^[18]

From 1943 until 1963 he served as Chairman of the Executive Committee of theBritish Red Cross Society and was appointed aKnight of the Order of St John in 1947.

AFreeman of the City of London, Lord Woolton served asMaster of theWorshipful Company of Salters for 1951/52.^[19]

Woolton was married firstly to Maud Smith on 10 October 1912. They had two children:^[20]

• Lady Margaret Judith Marquis (21 August 1917 - 4 March 1986)
• Roger David Marquis, 2nd Earl of Woolton (16 July 1922 - 7 January 1969)

The Countess of Woolton died in 1961.^[21] Lord Woolton was married secondly to Margaret Eluned Thomas on 19 October 1962. There were no children from this marriage.

Lord Woolton died on 14 December 1964 at his home, Walberton House,Arundel, Sussex at the age of 81. He was succeeded in the earldom and subsidiary titles by his son,Roger.

He is buried atSt Mary's Church, Walberton, Sussex.^[22]

Coat of arms of Frederick Marquis, 1st Earl of Woolton

Coronet ACoronet of an Earl Crest Suspended from and between the Antlers of a stag a Stirrup and Leather proper Escutcheon Sable on a Bend engrailed between two Garbs Or a Rose Gules barbed and seeded proper between two Lions rampant of the field Supporters On either side a Lion rampant Or gorged with a Riband Azure pendent therefrom by a Chain also Or an Escutcheon Azure charged with a Liver Bird Argent Motto Fortitudine Virtute Dabitur (By fortitude and courage it shall be given)

Citations

Bibliography

• Cowling, Maurice (1975).The Impact of Hitler: British Politics & Policy 1933–1940.Cambridge University Press. p. 419.ISBN 0-521-20582-4.
• Hammond, R. J.Food, Volume 1: The Growth of Policy (London: HMSO, 1951);Food, Volume 2: Studies in Administration and Control (1956);Food, Volume 3: Studies in Administration and Control (1962) official war history
  • Hammond, R. J.Food and agriculture in Britain, 1939–45: Aspects of wartime control (Food, agriculture, and World War II) (1954)
• Kandiah, Michael D. (May 2008)."Marquis, Frederick James, first earl of Woolton (1883–1964)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/34885. Retrieved8 August 2009. (Subscription,Wikipedia Library access orUK public library membership required.)
• Sitwell, William (2016).Eggs or Anarchy? The Remarkable Story of the Man Tasked with the Impossible: To Feed a Nation at War. London: Simon & Schuster.ISBN 978-1-4711-5105-7.

Michael Kandiah & Judith Rowbotham (Editors), The Diaries and Letters of Lord Woolton 1940–1945. Records of Social and Economic History Series, vol. 61. Oxford: University Press for the British Academy, 2020. Hardcover. xxvii+324 p.ISBN 978-0-19-726684-7.

• Hansard 1803–2005:contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Woolton
• Catalogue of the papers of Frederick Marquis, Lord Woolton, at the Bodleian Library, Oxford
• Newspaper clippings about Frederick Marquis, 1st Earl of Woolton in the20th Century Press Archives of theZBW

• 1883 births
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