Percy Herbert Mills, 1st Viscount Mills, (4 January 1890 – 10 September 1968), known as Sir Percy Mills, Bt, between 1953 and 1957 and as The Lord Mills between 1957 and 1962, was a British industrialist, public servant and politician.

Background and education

Mills was born at

Thornaby Thornaby-on-Tees, commonly referred to as Thornaby, is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, north of York and south-east of Middlesbrough. On the south bank of the River Tees, Thornaby falls within th ...

and educated at

Barnard Castle School Barnard Castle School (colloquially Barney School or locally the County School) is a co-educational private day and boarding school in the market town of Barnard Castle, County Durham, in the North East of England. It is a member of The Head ...

.Halsbury, ‘Mills, Percy Herbert, first Viscount Mills (1890–1968)’, rev. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 26 May 2011
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Career

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Mills served as Controller-General of Machine Tools at the

Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed on 1 August 1939 by the Ministry of Supply Act 1939 ( 2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 38) to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Ministe ...

from 1940 to 1944. He earned Harold Macmillan's absolute confidence and was described by the ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'' as "one of the most politically influential industrialists of his time." He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in the 1942 New Year Honours, and was appointed to the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

as a Knight Commander (KBE) in the 1946 Birthday Honours. He was created as a Baronet, of Alcester in the County of Warwick, in 1952 and was raised to the peerage as Baron Mills, of Studley in the County of Warwick, in January 1957. The same month newly appointed Prime Minister Macmillan made Mills Minister of Power, with a seat in the cabinet. He was sworn of the Privy Council at the same time. In October 1959 he became

Paymaster General His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The position is currently held by Nick Thomas-Symonds of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. History The post was ...

, which he remained until October 1961, when he was made

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 ...

. Following his departure from the Cabinet after the "

Night of the Long Knives The Night of the Long Knives (, ), also called the Röhm purge or Operation Hummingbird (), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Adolf Hitler, urged on by Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, ord ...

" he was made Viscount Mills, of

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

in the County of London, in 1962.

Personal life

Lord Mills died in September 1968, aged 78, and was succeeded in the viscountcy by his son, Roger.

References

External links

* , - 1890 births 1968 deaths Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Knights Bachelor Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Barnard Castle School Ministers in the Macmillan and Douglas-Home governments, 1957–1964 Hereditary barons created by Elizabeth II {{UK-viscount-stub