Ramsay MacDonald

Member of ParliamentIn office
31 January 1936 – 9 November 1937Preceded byNoel SkeltonSucceeded bySir John AndersonConstituencyCombined Scottish UniversitiesIn office
15 November 1922 – 25 October 1935Preceded byJack EdwardsSucceeded byManny ShinwellConstituencyAberavon (1922–1929)
Seaham (1929–1935)In office
8 February 1906 – 25 November 1918Preceded byJohn RollestonSucceeded byConstituency abolishedConstituencyLeicesterPersonal detailsBornJames McDonald Ramsay
(1866-10-12)12 October 1866
Died9 November 1937(1937-11-09) (aged 71)
Resting placeHoly Trinity Church, SpyniePartySpouseChildren6, including Malcolm, Ishbel, SheilaEducationBirkbeck, University of LondonProfessionPoliticianSignature

James Ramsay MacDonald (néJames McDonald Ramsay; 12 October 1866 – 9 November 1937) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, first briefly in 1924 and again from 1929 to 1935. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party: a minority Labour government for nine months in 1924, making him the first Labour Prime Minister in British history, and the second between 1929 and 1931. In 1931, MacDonald was expelled from the Labour Party, after he formed a National Government dominated by the Conservative Party and supported by only a few Labour members, his premiership of which lasted until 1935.

MacDonald, along with Keir Hardie and Arthur Henderson, was one of the three principal founders of the Labour Party in 1900. He was chairman of the Labour MPs before 1914 and, after an eclipse in his career caused by his opposition to the First World War, he was Leader of the Labour Party from 1922. The second Labour Government (1929–1931) was dominated by the Great Depression. He formed the National Government to carry out spending cuts to defend the gold standard, but it had to be abandoned after the Invergordon Mutiny, and he called a general election in 1931 seeking a "doctor's mandate" to fix the economy.

The National coalition won an overwhelming landslide and the Labour Party was reduced to a rump of around 50 seats in the House of Commons. His health deteriorated and he stood down as prime minister in 1935, remaining as Lord President of the Council until retiring in 1937. He died later that year.

MacDonald's speeches, pamphlets and books made him an important theoretician. Historian John Shepherd states that "MacDonald's natural gifts of an imposing presence, handsome features and a persuasive oratory delivered with an arresting Highlands accent made him the iconic Labour leader". After 1931, MacDonald was repeatedly and bitterly denounced by the Labour movement as a traitor to its cause. Since the 1960s, some historians have defended his reputation, emphasising his earlier role in building up the Labour Party, dealing with the Great Depression, and as a forerunner of the political realignments of the 1990s and 2000s.