George William Lucas, 1st Baron Lucas of Chilworth (29 March 1896 – 11 October 1967), was a British businessman and Labour politician. Lucas was the son of Percy William Lucas and Annette Lucy Lucas of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. He was involved in the motor trade industry and served 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 ...

as Chair of the National Joint Industrial Council of the Motor Vehicle Retail and Repairing Trade. On 27 June 1946 he was given a peerage by the Labour government of

Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. At ...

as Baron Lucas of Chilworth, ''of Chilworth in the

County of Southampton Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, Dorset to the west, and Wilt ...

''. He then served under Attlee as a

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

(government whip in the House of Lords) from 1948 to 1949, as

Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard The Captain of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a Government of the United Kingdom, UK Government post usually held by the Government Whip (politics), Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords. The present Captain is Margaret Whe ...

(Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords) from 1949 to 1950 and as

Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport was a junior position at the British Ministry of Transport. The office was renamed Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport in 1941, but resumed its former name at the end of the S ...

from 1950 to 1951. However, he later fell out with the Labour Party over

nationalisation Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with priv ...

and moved to the cross-benches. The future Lord Lucas married Sonia Finkelstein (died 1979), the daughter of Marcus Finkelstein, a Latvian fishing-industry tycoon, in 1917. He died in October 1967, aged 71, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

, who became a

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 ...

government minister. His second son, Ivor Lucas, became a diplomat and served as

British Ambassador to Syria The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Syria was the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative to Syria, and head of the UK's diplomatic mission in Damascus. The official title was ''His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to the Syrian Ar ...

and

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Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, *
Daily Telegraph obituary of 2nd Baron Lucas of Chilworth
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas of Chilworth, George William Lucas, 1st Baron 1896 births 1967 deaths Labour Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting Labour Party (UK) hereditary peers Ministers in the Attlee governments, 1945–1951 Barons created by George VI