William Mitchell-Thomson, 1st Baron Selsdon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Selsdon KBE PC
Postmaster General
In office 4 November 1924 – 4 June 1929
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by	Vernon Hartshorn
Succeeded by	Hastings Lees-Smith
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade
In office 1 April 1921 – 19 October 1922
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	David Lloyd George
Preceded by	Philip Cunliffe-Lister
Succeeded by	The Viscount Wolmer
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food Control
In office 19 April 1920 – 1 April 1921
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	David Lloyd George
Preceded by	Charles McCurdy
Succeeded by	Post abolished
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 14 January 1932 – 24 December 1938 Hereditary Peerage
Preceded by	Peerage created
Succeeded by	The 2nd Lord Selsdon
Member of Parliament for Croydon South
In office 6 December 1923 – 14 January 1932
Preceded by	Allan Macgregor Smith
Succeeded by	Herbert Williams
Member of Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill
In office 14 December 1918 – 26 October 1922
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	John William Muir
Member of Parliament for North Down
In office 28 April 1910 – 25 November 1918
Preceded by	Thomas Lorimer Corbett
Succeeded by	Thomas Watters Brown
Member of Parliament for North West Lanarkshire
In office 8 February 1906 – 10 February 1910
Preceded by	Charles Mackinnon Douglas
Succeeded by	William Pringle
Personal details
Born	(1877-04-15)15 April 1877 Edinburgh, Scotland
Died	24 December 1938(1938-12-24) (aged 61) London, England
Nationality	British
Political party	Scottish Unionist Irish Unionist Conservative
Spouse	Annie McEacharn
Children	Peter

William Lowson Mitchell-Thomson, 1st Baron Selsdon (born April 15, 1877 – died December 24, 1938) was an important Scottish politician. He was known as Sir William Mitchell-Thomson before 1932. He served as the British Postmaster-General from 1924 to 1929. This job meant he was in charge of the country's mail and early telephone services.

Early Life and Education

William Mitchell-Thomson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, Mitchell Mitchell-Thomson, was a well-known person in Edinburgh. He was even given the special title of "baronet" in 1900.

William went to good schools like Winchester College and Balliol College, Oxford. He also studied law at the University of Edinburgh. After finishing his studies in 1902, he became a lawyer in Scotland. He spent some time traveling before starting his political career.

A Career in Politics

William Mitchell-Thomson was a Member of Parliament (MP) for many years. An MP is a person elected by people to represent them in the country's government, called Parliament.

Early Parliamentary Roles

• He first became an MP in 1906 for North West Lanarkshire.
• From 1910 to 1918, he was an MP for North Down.
• During World War I, he helped manage the country's supplies. He was recognized for his work and given an award.

Important Government Jobs

After the war, William Mitchell-Thomson took on more important roles:

• He represented Britain on a special council that helped manage the economy after the war.
• He also worked as a secretary for the Ministry of Food and the Board of Trade. These roles involved helping with food supplies and trade rules.

Representing Different Areas

He continued to be an MP for different areas:

• From 1918 to 1922, he was the MP for Glasgow Maryhill.
• Then, from 1923 to 1932, he represented Croydon South in South London.

Postmaster-General and Beyond

From 1924 to 1929, he held the important job of Postmaster General. This role meant he was in charge of the postal service and the growing telephone network in Britain. During a big workers' strike in 1926, he played a key role in keeping things running. In 1924, he also became a Privy Counsellor, which is a special advisor to the King.

In 1932, William Mitchell-Thomson left the House of Commons. He was then given a new special title: Baron Selsdon. This meant he became a "Lord" and joined the House of Lords, another part of the UK Parliament.

The Selsdon Report and Television

One of his most famous contributions was to the development of television.

• In 1934, the British government asked Lord Selsdon to lead a committee.
• This committee's job was to study if a public television service could be started.
• They also had to suggest how such a service should work.
• The committee's findings were published in a report called the "Selsdon Report" in 1935.
• This report suggested that the BBC should be in charge of developing television.
• Lord Selsdon himself appeared on the very first day of BBC television broadcasts on November 2, 1936. He was the chairman of the Television Advisory Committee at that time.

Family Life

William Mitchell-Thomson was married twice. In 1907, he married Madeleine McEacharn. They had a son named Peter. Later, he married Effie Lilian Loder Johnson.

Lord Selsdon passed away in London in December 1938, when he was 61 years old. His son, Peter, inherited his title and became a well-known racing driver.