Donald Somervell, Baron Somervell of Harrow
| The Right Honourable The Lord Somervell of Harrow OBE PC QC | |
|---|---|
| Home Secretary | |
|
In office 25 May 1945 – 26 July 1945 | |
| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | Herbert Morrison |
| Succeeded by | James Chuter Ede |
| Attorney General for England and Wales | |
|
In office 18 March 1936 – 25 May 1945 | |
| Prime Minister |
Stanley Baldwin Neville Chamberlain Winston Churchill |
| Preceded by | Sir Thomas Inskipp |
| Succeeded by | Sir David Maxwell Fyfe |
| Solicitor General for England and Wales | |
|
In office 29 September 1933 – 19 March 1936 | |
| Prime Minister |
Ramsay MacDonald Stanley Baldwin |
| Preceded by | Sir Boyd Merriman |
| Succeeded by | Sir Terence O'Connor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 August 1889 |
| Died | 18 November 1960 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) |
Loelia Helen Buchan-Hepburn (1897-1945) |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
Donald Bradley Somervell, Baron Somervell of Harrow, OBE, PC, QC (24 August 1889–18 November 1960) was a British barrister, judge and Conservative Party politician. He served as Solicitor General and Attorney General from 1933-45 and was briefly Home Secretary in Winston Churchill's 1945 caretaker government.
Background, education and legal career
Somervell was the son of Robert Somervell, Master and Bursar of Harrow School, and was educated there before reading chemistry at Magdalen College, Oxford. He then joined the Inner Temple but his legal training was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War. In 1916 he was called to the Bar and practised in the chambers of William Jowitt, specialising in commercial law matters arising out of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1929, he took silk.[1][2]
Political career
In 1929 he entered politics. Although a Liberal by inclination, the decline of that party and his admiration for the then-Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin led him to instead join the Conservative Party and he stood unsuccessfully for Crewe in the 1929 general election. He won the seat in the 1931 election and held it for the next fourteen years.
In 1933 he became Solicitor General,[3] receiving the customary knighthood,[4] followed three years later by a promotion to Attorney General. In this latter post he served for no less than nine years, during which he oversaw crises such as the Abdication Crisis of Edward VIII. He was the longest-serving Attorney General since 1754. He was sworn of the Privy Council in the 1938 Birthday Honours.[5]
In 1945 he was briefly Home Secretary in Winston Churchill's caretaker government. The government lost power, Somervell lost his seat in the 1945 general election and he returned to the law.
Judicial career
In 1946 he became a Lord Justice of Appeal. In 1951 Churchill returned to power but passed over Somervell's claims to the Lord Chancellorship. On 4 October 1954 Somervell he became a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary and, as a Law Lord, he received a life peerage as Baron Somervell of Harrow, of Ewelme in the County of Oxford.[6] He retired in 1960, shortly before his death.
Family
Somervell married Loelia Helen Buchan-Hepburn, daughter of Sir Archibald Buchan-Hepburn, 4th Baronet, in 1933. She died in July 1945, aged 48. Somervell survived her by fifteen years and died in November 1960, aged 71. His grave can be found in the grounds of Saint Mary's Church in Ewelme, opposite that of the writer Jerome K. Jerome.
Styles of address
- 1889–1929: Mr Donald Somervell
- 1929–1931: Mr Donald Somervell KC
- 1931–1933: Mr Donald Somervell KC MP
- 1933–1938: Sir Donald Somervell KC MP
- 1938–1945: The Rt Hon. Sir Donald Somervell KC MP
- 1945–1952: The Rt Hon. Sir Donald Somervell KC
- 1952–1954: The Rt Hon. Sir Donald Somervell QC
- 1954–1960: The Rt Hon. The Lord Somervell of Harrow PC QC
References
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 33473. p. 1448. 1 March 1929.
- ↑ The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 14527. p. 239. 5 March 1929.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 33983. p. 6351. 3 October 1933.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 33984. p. 6418. 6 October 1933.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 34525. p. 4056. 24 June 1938.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 40294. p. 5649. 5 October 1954.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Donald Somervell
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John William Bowen |
Member of Parliament for Crewe 1931–1945 |
Succeeded by Sydney Scholefield Allen |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Boyd Merriman |
Solicitor General for England and Wales 1933–1936 |
Succeeded by Sir Terence O'Connor |
| Preceded by Sir Thomas Inskip |
Attorney General for England and Wales 1936–1945 |
Succeeded by Sir David Maxwell Fyfe |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Herbert Morrison |
Home Secretary 1945 |
Succeeded by James Chuter Ede |
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