Harold Macmillan (redirected from 1st earl of Stockton)

Macmillan, Harold 

Born Feb. 10, 1894, in London. British statesman. The son of a powerful publisher.

Macmillan was educated at Eton and at Oxford University. He commenced his political career in 1924, when he was elected as a member of the ConservativeParty to the House of Commons. From 1940 to 1945 he occupied a number of posts in the government of W. Churchill. When the Conservatives returned to power after the general election of 1951, he served as minister of housing (1951-54), defense (1954-55), foreign affairs (1955), and finance (1955-57). After the debacle of the Suez Crisis (in Russian, the Anglo-Franco-Israeli aggression against Egypt) and the retirement of A. Eden, he became prime minister in 1957, remaining in this post until 1963. In 1964, Macmillan left active politics and headed a major publishing firm.