George Hall, 1st Viscount Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Viscount Hall
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| First Lord of the Admiralty | |
| In office 4 October 1946 – 24 May 1951 |
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| Monarch | George VI |
| Prime Minister | Clement Attlee |
| Preceded by | A. V. Alexander |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Pakenham |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | |
| In office 3 August 1945 – 4 October 1946 |
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| Prime Minister | Clement Attlee |
| Preceded by | Hon. Oliver Stanley |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Creech Jones |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 25 September 1943 – 26 May 1945 |
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| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | Richard Law |
| Succeeded by | Alec Douglas-Home Simon Fraser |
| Financial Secretary to the Admiralty | |
| In office 4 February 1942 – 25 September 1943 |
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| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Succeeded by | James Thomas |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | |
| In office 12 May 1940 – 4 February 1942 |
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| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | Basil Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood |
| Succeeded by | Harold Macmillan |
| Civil Lord of the Admiralty | |
| In office 7 June 1929 – 24 August 1931 |
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| Prime Minister | Ramsay MacDonald |
| Preceded by | James Stanhope |
| Succeeded by | Euan Wallace |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| In office 28 October 1946 – 8 November 1965 Hereditary Peerage |
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| Preceded by | Peerage created |
| Succeeded by | The 2nd Viscount Hall |
| Member of Parliament for Aberdare |
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| In office 15 November 1922 – 4 October 1946 |
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| Preceded by | Charles Stanton |
| Succeeded by | David Thomas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 December 1881 Penrhiwceiber, Glamorganshire |
| Died | 8 November 1965 (aged 83) Leicester, Leicestershire |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
George Henry Hall, 1st Viscount Hall (born December 31, 1881 – died November 8, 1965) was an important British politician. He was a member of the Labour Party. He held several big jobs in the government. For example, he was in charge of the colonies from 1945 to 1946. Later, he was the head of the Royal Navy from 1946 to 1951. He was also a member of the Privy Council, a group of advisors to the King or Queen.
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Early Life and Education
George Hall was born in Penrhiwceiber, a town in Glamorganshire, Wales. His father, George Hall, was a coal miner. His mother, Anne, came from Somerset. George was one of six children in his family.
His parents moved to South Wales because of the growing coal industry. Sadly, George's father died in 1889. This meant young George had to leave school at age twelve. He started working in the Penrhiwceiber coal mine to help his family.
Starting in Politics
After an accident at the mine, George had a long time to recover. During this time, he read a lot and taught himself many things. This self-education helped him get interested in politics.
In 1908, he was elected to the Mountain Ash Urban District Council. This was a local government group. He was the first Labour Party member to win a seat for his area. People saw him as a strong supporter of Labour ideas.
George Hall continued to work as a miner. Later, he became a "checkweigher" in 1911. A checkweigher was a worker chosen to make sure miners were paid fairly for the coal they dug. He also worked for the South Wales Miners' Federation, a union for miners.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
In 1922, George Hall was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP). An MP represents a specific area in the British Parliament. He won the seat for Aberdare. He took over from Charles Stanton.
Hall was the MP for Aberdare from 1922 until 1946. From 1929 to 1931, he worked as the Civil Lord of the Admiralty. This role helped manage the Royal Navy. In the 1930s, he started speaking about more topics in Parliament. Before, he mostly talked about mining issues.
Helping His Local Area
Even though he was a national politician, George Hall stayed connected to his hometown. People in Aberdare saw him as a helpful MP. He worked hard to bring new jobs to the area. This was important because coal mining was declining.
Thanks to his efforts, a new factory called Aberdare Cables opened in 1937. He also helped set up Royal Ordnance Factories during World War II. These factories made weapons. He also helped create the Hirwaun Trading Estate in 1945. These new businesses helped create jobs when coal mines were closing.
Government Roles During and After World War II
During World War II, George Hall served in Winston Churchill's government. He held several important roles:
- From 1940 to 1942, he was the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies.
- From 1942 to 1943, he was the Financial Secretary to the Admiralty.
- From 1943 to 1945, he was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
In 1942, he became a Privy Counsellor. This is an honor given to important people who advise the monarch.
After the war, in 1946, he left the House of Commons. He was then given the title of Viscount Hall. This meant he became a member of the House of Lords, another part of the British Parliament. He then served as the First Lord of the Admiralty from 1946 to 1951. He was also the Deputy Leader of the House of Lords from 1947 to 1951.
Family Life
George Hall married Margaret Jones in 1910. They had two sons. Sadly, one of their sons died while serving in the Royal Navy during World War II. Margaret passed away in 1941. Later in his life, in 1964, he married Alice Martha Walker.
Lord Hall died in Leicester in November 1965, at the age of 83. His son, William, inherited his title.
