Parliamentary offices

Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage 2 November 1959 – 6 March 1965
Member of Parliament for Lewisham South Lewisham East (1945–1950)
In office 5 July 1945 – 8 October 1959
Preceded by	Sir Assheton Pownall
Succeeded by	Carol Johnson
Member of Parliament for Hackney South
In office 14 November 1935 – 5 July 1945
Preceded by	Marjorie Graves
Succeeded by	Herbert William Butler
In office 30 May 1929 – 27 October 1931
Preceded by	George Garro-Jones
Succeeded by	Marjorie Graves
In office 6 December 1923 – 29 October 1924
Preceded by	Clifford Erskine-Bolst
Succeeded by	George Garro-Jones

Personal details

Born

Herbert Stanley Morrison

3 January 1888
London, England

Died

6 March 1965 (aged 77)
London, England

Political party

Labour

Spouses

Margaret Kent

(m. 1919; died 1953)

Edith Meadowcroft

(m. 1955)

Children

Relatives

Peter Mandelson (grandson)

Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth (born January 3, 1888 – died March 6, 1965) was an important British politician. He was a member of the Labour Party and held many senior jobs in the British government, known as the Cabinet.

Between World War I and World War II, he served as Minister of Transport. After losing his seat in Parliament in 1931, he became the leader of the London County Council in the 1930s. Later, he returned to Parliament and became Home Secretary during World War II.

Morrison helped the Labour Party win the 1945 election. He then became Leader of the House of Commons and was a key deputy to Prime Minister Clement Attlee. He was part of a group of five important leaders who guided the government. Morrison was in charge of Labour's plan to bring major industries under government control. He was also nicknamed "Lord Festival" for successfully leading the Festival of Britain in 1951. This event was a huge success, attracting millions of people to fun and educational exhibits.

Many people expected Morrison to become the next Labour leader after Attlee. However, Attlee waited until 1955 to retire. By then, Morrison was considered too old and finished third in the leadership election.

Early Life and Education
Political Career
Personal Life
Death
Images for kids

Early Life and Education

Herbert Morrison was born in Stockwell, Lambeth, London, on January 3, 1888. He was one of six children. His father, Henry Morrison, was a police officer. Herbert later disagreed strongly with his father's political views.

As a baby, Morrison lost sight in his right eye due to an infection. He went to Stockwell Road Primary School and then St Andrew's Church of England School. He left school at 14 to work as an errand boy. Early in his life, he was interested in radical politics. During World War I, he was a conscientious objector and worked in a market garden.

Political Career

Starting in Politics

Morrison became a leading figure in the London Labour Party. In 1919, he was elected to the Metropolitan Borough of Hackney. He served as Mayor of Hackney in 1920–21. He was also a fan and shareholder of Clapton Orient FC.

In 1922, he was elected to the London County Council (LCC). The next year, in 1923, he became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hackney South. However, he lost this seat in 1924 when the government changed.

Morrison returned to Parliament in 1929. Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald made him Minister of Transport. But he lost his seat again in 1931 when the government changed once more.

Leading London

Even after losing his Parliament seat, Morrison continued to work on the London County Council. In 1933, he was chosen to lead the Labour Group on the council. He wrote a book about his ideas for bringing industries under public control. He believed that managers should run these industries for the public good.

In 1934, Labour surprisingly won the LCC election, and Morrison became the council's leader. This meant he was in charge of most local government services in London. Some of his biggest achievements included:

Bringing together London's bus, tram, and Underground services under one organization, the London Passenger Transport Board (known as London Transport).
Creating the Metropolitan Green Belt around London, which is a protected area of countryside.
He also pushed the government to help pay for a new Waterloo Bridge.

In the 1935 election, Morrison was elected to the House of Commons again. He tried to become the leader of the Labour Party but lost to Clement Attlee. After this, Morrison focused on his work with the LCC. He helped Labour use new election strategies, like using advertising agencies, which helped them win local elections in 1937. They used posters with slogans like "Labour Gets Things Done."

During World War II

In 1940, Winston Churchill appointed Morrison as the first Minister of Supply. Soon after, he became Home Secretary. Morrison's experience in London's local government was very helpful during the Blitz, which was a period of heavy bombing. The Morrison shelter, a type of indoor air-raid shelter, was named after him. He also encouraged people to become fire guards.

Morrison had to make tough decisions during the war. For example, in 1941, he temporarily banned the Daily Worker newspaper.

Post-War Labour Government (1945–1951)

After World War II, Morrison played a key role in writing the Labour Party's plan for the future, called Let us Face the Future. He organized the 1945 general election campaign, which Labour won by a large and unexpected margin. Morrison then became Leader of the House of Commons.

He was the main person behind the Festival of Britain, a big event held in 1951. This festival celebrated British achievements in science, technology, design, and arts. It was a huge success and helped people feel more positive after the war.

Morrison also oversaw Labour's major plan to bring large industries under government control. This meant the government took ownership of companies like the BBC. The goal was to help with national planning.

In 1946, Morrison worked with a US ambassador to propose the "Morrison-Grady Plan" to try and solve the conflict in Palestine. However, both sides rejected the plan.

Later, Morrison became Foreign Secretary. He found this role challenging. His time in this job was cut short when Labour lost the 1951 election. He was then given the honor of being a Companion of Honour.

End of His Political Career

Many people thought Morrison would become the Labour leader after Attlee. However, Attlee, who didn't particularly like Morrison, waited until 1955 to retire. By then, Morrison was 67 years old and considered too old for a new leadership role. He ran for leader but finished last among the three candidates. After this, he resigned as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

During the Suez Crisis, Morrison supported Britain taking action against Egypt. He retired from Parliament in 1959 and was made a life peer, becoming Baron Morrison of Lambeth. He also became the President of the British Board of Film Censors.

Personal Life

During World War I, while working in Letchworth, Morrison met Margaret Kent (1896–1953), who became his first wife in 1919. They had one daughter, Mary. However, Morrison's deep involvement in politics meant their marriage was not very happy.

After Margaret's death in 1953, Morrison married Edith Meadowcroft in 1955. Their relationship seemed much more successful.

Morrison's grandson, Peter Mandelson, also became a well-known politician and a cabinet minister in later Labour governments.

Death

Herbert Morrison passed away on March 6, 1965. This was in the same month that the London County Council, which he had led for many years, was officially ended.

Images for kids

The 300-foot-tall Skylon at the Festival of Britain, 1951

All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:

Herbert Morrison Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.

Herbert Morrison facts for kids

Contents