Eustace Sutherland Campbell Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle (21 March 1887 – 3 April 1958), styled Lord Eustace Percy between 1899 and 1953, was a British diplomat,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician, public servant, and aristocrat from the Percy family. He most notably served as President of the Board of Education under

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (3 August 186714 December 1947), was a British statesman and Conservative politician who was prominent in the political leadership of the United Kingdom between the world wars. He was prime ministe ...

between 1924 and 1929.

Background and education

Percy was born at 25

Grosvenor Square Grosvenor Square ( ) is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of Westminster, Greater London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was deve ...

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

,''1901 England Census'' into a noble family: he was the seventh and youngest son of Henry Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland, and Lady Edith, daughter of

George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll George John Douglas Campbell, 8th and 1st Duke of Argyll (30 April 1823 – 24 April 1900; styled Marquess of Lorne until 1847), was a Scottish people, Scottish polymath and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal statesman. He made a significant geological ...

. Henry Percy, Earl Percy, and Alan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland, were his elder brothers. His uncle, the ninth Duke of Argyll, was married to Princess Louise, daughter of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. A niece Lady Diana Percy later married the sixth Duke of Sutherland. He was educated at Eton and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

. He won the Stanhope essay prize in 1907 and took first-class honours in Modern History.

Political career

Percy served in the Diplomatic Service between 1911 and 1919. From 1919–22, he represented Holborn on the

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

as a Municipal Reform Party councillor. In 1921, he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

, a seat he held until 1937. In March 1923, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education by

Bonar Law Andrew Bonar Law (; 16 September 1858 – 30 October 1923) was a British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923. Law was born in the British colony of New Brunswick (now a Canadi ...

. When

became Prime Minister in May of the same year, Percy was moved to the post of Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health, which he remained until the fall of the government in January 1924. When the Conservatives returned to power in November 1924, he was appointed President of the Board of Education by Baldwin, with a seat in the cabinet, and sworn of the Privy Council. He continued as head of the Board of Education until the government fell in June 1929. Percy did not serve in the National Government of

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...

between 1931 and 1935, but when Baldwin returned as Prime Minister in June 1935 he again became a member of the cabinet as

Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...

, a post he held until 1936. Given charge of policy direction for the government in the latter role, he was often dubbed the "Minister for Thought" by the Press. In the 1930s, he called for regional government for the North East of England, specifically wishing to be the minister for the region. In his 1944 Riddell Lecture, Percy made a call for the law to be changed radically to recognise companies as associations of productive employees, rather than as associations of shareholders. These were his words: "Here is the most important challenge to political invention ever offered to the jurist or the statesman. The human association which in fact produces and distributes wealth, the association of workmen, managers, technicians and directors is not an association recognised by law. The association which the law does recognise – the association of shareholders, creditors and directors – is incapable of producing and distributing and is not expected to perform these functions. We have to give law to the real association and withdraw meaningless privilege from the imaginary one." In 1945, Percy chaired the committee on Higher Technological Education that resulted in the Percy Report. He also chaired a Royal Commission that reviewed mental health legislation in the 1950s and was Rector of King's College, Durham (now

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...

) between 1937 and 1951, in which role he also alternated in the post of Vice-Chancellor of Durham University. In 1953 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Percy of Newcastle, of Etchingham in the County of Sussex.

Family

Percy married Stella Katherine, daughter of Major-General Laurence George Drummond, in 1918. They had two daughters. He died in April 1958, aged 71, in Etchingham. As he had no sons the barony became extinct on his death.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Percy, Eustace Sutherland Campbell, 1st Baron Percy Of Newcastle 1887 births 1958 deaths 1 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 UK MPs who were granted peerages British Secretaries of State for Education Engineering education in the United Kingdom Younger sons of dukes Eustace Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle Members of London County Council Municipal Reform Party politicians James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients People educated at Eton College Hereditary barons created by Elizabeth II People from Mayfair