Robert Hudson, 1st Viscount Hudson facts for kids
Robert Spear Hudson, 1st Viscount Hudson (born August 15, 1886 – died February 2, 1957) was a British politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party. He held several important jobs in the government during World War II.
Hudson came from a wealthy family. His father had sold a big family soap business. This wealth meant Hudson had a very comfortable life. He went to famous schools like Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford.
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Early Career
In 1911, Hudson started working as a diplomat. He worked at the British embassy in Washington, D.C., and later in Russia. In 1918, he married Hannah Randolph, a rich American woman he met in Washington. Hudson was very interested in farming. He was part of the Royal Agricultural Society.
Member of Parliament
Hudson became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Whitehaven in 1924. He lost his seat in 1929 but was elected again in 1931 for Southport. He held several government jobs. In 1938, he became a Privy Counsellor, which is a special advisor to the King or Queen.
From 1937 to 1940, Hudson was the Secretary for Overseas Trade. This job meant he was in charge of Britain's trade with other countries. He was quite independent in this role.
Trade Talks Before World War II
In late 1938, Hudson was involved in talks to improve trade between Britain and Germany. These talks failed. Germany wanted to control trade in Eastern Europe, but Britain was worried about Germany becoming too powerful.
At the same time, Hudson was the main British negotiator for a trade agreement with the United States in 1938. This agreement aimed to reduce trade problems between the two countries. Some American officials did not trust Hudson. They thought he put British interests first, even if it hurt broader world trade.
In November 1938, King Carol II of Romania visited Britain. He wanted Britain's help to keep Romania from falling under Germany's economic control. He asked for a large loan, but Britain refused. Instead, Britain promised to buy some Romanian wheat. Hudson believed Britain should have done more to help Romania.
Britain also gave trade credits to other countries. China received the most money because its economy was struggling due to the war with Japan. Helping China was important to Britain. It kept Japan busy and less likely to attack British colonies in Asia.
Mission to Moscow
In early 1939, Hudson was chosen to visit Moscow. His goal was to negotiate a trade treaty with the Soviet Union. This visit was also meant to improve relations between Britain and the Soviet Union.
On March 8, 1939, Hudson met with Ivan Maisky, the Soviet ambassador in London. Hudson said he wanted better relations and that Britain's relationship with Germany was getting worse. Hudson believed Britain and France could defeat Germany without Soviet help. Maisky, however, thought Britain needed the Soviet Union.
Hudson hoped his visit to Moscow would be a big success. He wanted to show that better trade could lead to stronger political ties. He also wanted to advance his own career. A planned visit to Germany in March 1939 was cancelled. This happened because Germany broke an agreement by taking over parts of Czechoslovakia.
Talks in Moscow
Hudson arrived in Moscow on March 23, 1939. He was there to discuss trade and improve relations because of growing tensions over Danzig. He met with Maxim Litvinov, the Soviet Foreign Affairs leader. Hudson spoke fluent Russian, which was helpful.
Hudson told Litvinov that Britain was much stronger now than it had been before. He said, "There will not be a second Munich." Litvinov hinted that the Soviet Union was losing interest in working with other countries. However, he said they were ready to work with Britain on ways to resist Germany.
Hudson focused mainly on economic matters. He did not want to discuss a military alliance. This angered Litvinov. Hudson even said Britain could manage fine without trade with the Soviet Union. Litvinov called this bullying. No trade agreement was reached during this visit.
Hudson also spoke with Vladimir Potemkin, another Soviet official. Hudson told him that Britain wanted an alliance with France and the Soviet Union to stop Germany. However, he exaggerated Britain's military strength.
Potemkin felt Hudson's mission failed because it was not well prepared. He thought Hudson was not important enough to make big decisions for Britain. Hudson was disappointed he could not meet Joseph Stalin. A joint statement about the visit was changed at the last minute. This made the Soviets think Britain did not truly want better relations.
When Hudson returned to London, he wrote a memo saying the Soviet Union would be an unreliable ally. He also believed their military was weak. He thought that trying to work with the Soviets was not practical. This led him to believe that trying to make peace with Germany was the only real option.
The Danzig Crisis
In July 1939, a German official named Helmuth Wohlthat visited London. He met with Sir Horace Wilson, a close advisor to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. These meetings were secret. They aimed to find a way to deal with the growing crisis over Danzig. Hudson attended these meetings as an assistant.
On July 20, 1939, Hudson met with Wohlthat and the German ambassador on his own. Hudson was very ambitious. He hoped to achieve a major success that would help his career. He wrote notes about his meeting. He claimed he suggested a solution to the Danzig crisis.
Hudson's idea was that if Germany promised not to invade Poland and stopped building up its weapons, Britain and the U.S. would help Germany economically. This included a large loan and a plan for European nations to work together to develop Africa. At the time, colonies in Africa were seen as very important for European economies. Germany wanted its former African colonies back.
After his meeting, Hudson was very excited. He told journalists "off-the-record" that he had saved the world from war. He showed them his notes. He asked them not to publish the story yet.
Public Reaction
On July 22, 1939, two newspapers, The Daily Telegraph and the News Chronicle, published the story. They reported that Britain had offered Germany a huge loan to prevent an attack on Poland. The public reacted very negatively. Many people called Hudson's proposed loan "Danegeld." This term refers to money paid to Vikings to stop their attacks. It suggests weakness and cowardice.
Prime Minister Chamberlain publicly denied that such a loan was being considered. He said Hudson was speaking only for himself. Chamberlain privately called Hudson "conceited" and disloyal. He noted that many of Hudson's ideas were already being considered by the government.
The "Hudson loan offer" damaged the Chamberlain government's image. It made people wonder if Britain was secretly trying to make a deal with Germany. This was especially true in Moscow. The Soviet government did not believe Hudson was acting alone. This made them distrust Britain during talks about forming an alliance against Germany. This distrust played a role in Joseph Stalin looking for a deal with Germany instead.
Despite the problems, Hudson still believed peace could be saved. He thought that if Danzig was returned to Germany, war could be avoided. However, he did not know that Germany had already planned to invade Poland. Historians have said Hudson's actions caused much damage to Britain's reputation.
Minister During World War II
In April 1940, Hudson briefly became the Minister of Shipping. Then, on May 14, he became the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. He held this job until 1945. Many believed he was one of the best Ministers of Agriculture during the war. He worked hard to make sure British farms produced as much food as possible. This was important because German U-boats were sinking ships bringing food to Britain.
Hudson believed in a "scientific" approach to farming. He wanted farmers to use the newest methods to grow more food. He also focused on producing enough food for everyone to get essential nutrients.
Boosting Food Production
Before the war, Britain imported 70% of its food. A main goal for Germany was to starve Britain by sinking ships. To prevent this, Hudson's team suggested a "basal diet" of 2,000 calories per day for everyone. This diet included vegetables, bread, fats, milk, and oatmeal. This was made possible by strict food rationing.
Hudson worked to make British farming more productive. He appointed 12 leading farmers as his deputies across Britain. He also started a private company, Fyfield Estates Limited, which bought farms. This caused some controversy because he was the Minister of Agriculture and also owned farms.
To make up for farmers who joined the military, the Women's Land Army was expanded. Thousands of "Land Girls" went to work on farms. Hudson made sure his staff treated them with respect.
Besides the "Land Girls," Hudson also used German and Italian prisoners of war (POWs), Jewish refugees, and city volunteers to work on farms. Italian POWs were especially useful because many came from farming areas in Italy. By 1944, about 150,000 Italian POWs were working on British farms.
Post-War Economic Plans
During 1941-1942, Hudson had difficult talks with the United States. The U.S. wanted Britain to end its Imperial Preference tariff system. This system gave special trade benefits to countries in the British Empire. Hudson was against this. He thought the U.S. was using its wartime aid to force an unfair economic deal on Britain.
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted a post-war world with lower tariffs and free trade. He believed this would prevent future wars. Hudson was a leading opponent of this idea in the British government. He argued that free trade would hurt British farmers. He believed Britain needed tariffs and subsidies to protect its agriculture. He also wanted Britain to keep its special trade agreements with weaker nations.
Hudson, along with other ministers like Lord Beaverbrook and Leo Amery, believed that keeping the sterling area and Imperial Preference tariffs was vital for Britain's economic survival as a major power.
The Oldum Libel Suit
In April 1942, Hudson bought a farm called Manner Farm. The previous owner, George Oldum, was a well-known farming expert. Oldum had won awards for his efficient, "scientific" farming methods.
In August 1943, journalists visited Manner Farm. They were told the farm was in "very poor condition" when Hudson bought it. They said its current success was all thanks to "farmer Hudson." Oldum was upset by this. He felt it suggested his farming was bad. When the statement was not corrected, Oldum sued Hudson for libel in February 1944.
The trial began on June 21, 1946. Hudson claimed the farm was in poor condition and that Oldum had apologized for his farming skills. Oldum, however, said Hudson had admired the farm when he bought it. Oldum showed evidence that Hudson had paid a high price for the farm and its equipment. A key moment was when Hudson claimed a potato field was wasteland, but Oldum showed a photo proving it was already a potato field when he sold the farm.
The evidence strongly favored Oldum. He won the case and was awarded £500 for the damage to his reputation. The trial received a lot of media attention. Many believe this verdict effectively ended Hudson's political career.
Hudson was given the title Viscount Hudson in 1952.
Images for kids
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Robert Hudson and his wife Hannah on a vacation, 1922.
