Background
Monckton was born in the small village of Plaxtol in northern Kent.
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Walter Turner
Edit ProfileEducation
He was head boy of his preparatory school, The Knoll, at Woburn Sands in Buckinghamshire, and attended Harrow School from 1904 to 1910. He chose to enter Balliol College, Oxford as a commoner (despite winning in 1910 an Exhibition to Hertford College, Oxford) and obtained a third in classical moderations (1912) and a second in history (1914).
Career
He was elected president of the Oxford Union in 1913. He played cricket for Harrow against Eton in the famous Fowler"s match in 1910. Whilst at Oxford, he played a first-class match for the combined Oxford and Cambridge Universities cricket team in 1911.
A lawyer, Monckton served as advisor to Edward VIII during the abdication crisis, having been Attorney General to the Duchy of Cornwall since 1932.
He was Recorder of Hythe from 1930-1937. He worked in propaganda and information during World World War II and became Solicitor General in Winston Churchill"s 1945 caretaker government, although he refused to join the Conservative Party.
Churchill soon appointed him to the cabinet as Minister of Labour and National Service, in which post he served from 1951 to 1955. He was Anthony Eden"s Minister of Defence 1955-1956, but was the only cabinet minister to oppose his Suez policy, and was moved to Paymaster-General 1956-1957.
Monckton was made Viscount Monckton of Brenchley in 1957.
He had wanted to become Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales and indeed had been promised the job by Churchill and the subsequent two prime ministers, but in 1957 he decided instead to join the board of Midland Bank. In 1960 he headed the Monckton Commission that concluded that the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland could not be maintained except by force or through massive changes in racial legislation. lieutenant advocated a majority of African members in the Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesian legislatures and giving these territories the option to leave the Federation after five years.
Membership
40th United Kingdom Parliament. 41st United Kingdom Parliament]
He finally joined after the war and became a Member of Parliament for Bristol West at a 1951 by-election.
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Born
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Died
January 9, 1965 (aged 73) -
Nationality
United Kingdom -
Political Party
Conservative Party