 |
Albert Victor AlexanderBritish statesman and military leader
Date of Birth: 01.05.1885
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Early Life and Education
Albert Victor Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Hillsborough, was born in a humble family in Bristol, England. His father, a blacksmith, had moved to Bristol from Wiltshire during the agricultural depression of the 1860s. Alexander was named after his father and Prince Albert Victor, Queen Victoria's eldest grandson, but was known by the nickname "AV" from an early age. After his father's death in 1886, Alexander's family relocated to Bristol, where his mother made corsets to support her children.
Military Service and Political Career
At the outbreak of World War I, Alexander was mobilized and trained at Oxford's St. Magdalen College, although his health prevented him from seeing combat. In 1922, he was elected to the House of Commons as a Cooperative Party member, later joining the Labour Party. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1929 to 1931 and 1940 to 1946.
Minister of Defence and Later Life
In 1946, Alexander became the Minister of Defence. His strong anti-Soviet stance initially drew criticism, but after the onset of the Cold War, he gained public acclaim. In 1950, he was awarded a peerage as Viscount Hillsborough.
From 1950 to 1951, Alexander served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. After the 1951 election defeat, he became leader of the Labour Party group in the House of Lords. He was a fervent opponent of closer relations between the Church of England and the Catholic Church. In 1956, he was appointed President of the Protestant Churches of Great Britain.
In 1963, Alexander received an earldom and in 1964, he was invested as a Knight of the Garter. He died in 1965.
