Alec Douglas-Home

**Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel**,  (; 2 July 1903 – 9 October 1995) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1964. He was better known as **Alec Douglas-Home**.

Home was a Member of Parliament and a junior official (a Parliamentary Private Secretary) when Neville Chamberlain went to Munich to meet Adolf Hitler in 1938. He was present at the main meetings between Hitler and Chamberlain. Later in life, he was appointed by Harold Macmillan as Foreign Secretary in 1960–1963, and again in Edward Heath's government from 1970 to 1974.

Home's name and title changed a few times during his life. Born as Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, he became Lord Dunglass when his father became the Earl of Home. Dunglass is a junior title, that is, a lower title which is held by the eldest son. When his father died Alec became the 14th Earl of Home. He also became Baron Douglas in the peerage of the United Kingdom (that was also a junior title).

## Leader of Party and Prime Minister

When he was chosen as Leader of the Conservative Party after Harold Macmillan retired, he knew it would be difficult to lead a government from the House of Lords. So he renounced his title, four days after becoming Prime Minister. Once he renounced the title, he became simply Sir Alec Douglas-Home. He had been made a Knight of the Thistle in 1962. Finally, after he lost the election of 1964, he was given a life peerage, titled 'Baron Home of the Hirsel'. That title is not hereditary but, after his death, his son became the 15th Earl of Home.

Rapidly, after the title was renounced, arrangements were made. The safe Conservative seat of Kinross and Western Perthshire was vacant, and Douglas-Home was adopted as his party's candidate. Parliament was due to meet on 24 October after the summer recess, but its return was postponed until 12 November pending the by-election. For twenty days Douglas-Home was Prime Minister while a member of neither house of Parliament, a situation without modern precedent. He won the by-election with a majority of 9,328.

## Prime Minister 1963–1964

A former peer as Prime Minister was open to attack, and Douglas-Home was attacked by the Labour Party leader Harold Wilson. Wilson attacked the new prime minister as "an elegant anachronism". He said that nobody from Douglas-Home's background knew the problems of ordinary families. In particular, Wilson asked how "a scion of an effete establishment" could lead the technological revolution which was needed. His premiership was ended by the general election of 1964, which put in the Labour Party with Harold Wilson as Prime Minister.

## Foreign Affairs 19701974

When the Conservatives returned to power in 1970, Home was made Foreign Secretary. He was a considerable success in this role. His speeches explained the world situation, which was then at the height of the Cold War.

In east–west relations, Douglas-Home spoke against the Soviet Union and its spying activities in Britain. In September 1971 he expelled 105 Soviet diplomats, who were spying. Although this was an extraordinary incident, Gromyko was realistic enough to keep a working relationship with the British government. Within days of the expulsions from London he and Douglas-Home met and discussed the Middle East and disarmament.

## Assessment

_The Times_ considered that his reputation rested not on his brief premiership, but on his two spells as Foreign Secretary: "He brought to the office ... his capacity for straight talking, for toughness towards the Soviet Union and for firmness (sometimes interpreted as a lack of sympathy) towards the continents of Africa and Asia. But he brought something else as well: an unusual degree of international respect".

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office**: Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
- **primeminister**: Edward Heath
- **term start**: 20 June 1970
- **term end**: 4 March 1974
- **predecessor**: Michael Stewart, Baron Stewart of Fulham, Michael Stewart
- **successor**: James Callaghan
- **primeminister2**: Harold Macmillan
- **term start2**: 27 July 1960
- **term end2**: 18 October 1963
- **predecessor2**: Selwyn Lloyd
- **successor2**: Rab Butler
- **office3**: Lord President of the Council
- **primeminister3**: Harold Macmillan
- **term start3**: 14 October 1959
- **term end3**: 27 July 1960
- **predecessor3**: Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, The Viscount Hailsham
- **successor3**: The Viscount Hailsham
- **primeminister4**: Harold Macmillan
- **term start4**: 29 March 1957
- **term end4**: 17 September 1957
- **predecessor4**: Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury, The Marquess of Salisbury
- **successor4**: The Viscount Hailsham
- **office5**: Leader of the House of Lords
- **primeminister5**: Harold Macmillan
- **term start5**: 29 March 1957
- **term end5**: 27 July 1960
- **predecessor5**: Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury, The Marquess of Salisbury
- **successor5**: Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, The Viscount Hailsham
- **office6**: Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
- **term start6**: 7 April 1955
- **term end6**: 27 July 1960
- **predecessor6**: Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Earl of Swinton, The Viscount Swinton
- **successor6**: Duncan Sandys


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office**: Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, Minister of State for Scotland
- **primeminister**: Winston Churchill
- **term start**: 2 November 1951
- **term end**: 7 April 1955
- **predecessor**: Position established
- **successor**: Thomas Galbraith, 1st Baron Strathclyde, Thomas Galbraith
- **office1**: Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
- **alongside1**: Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, The Lord Lovat
- **primeminister1**: Winston Churchill
- **term start1**: 26 May 1945
- **term end1**: 26 July 1945
- **predecessor1**: George Hall, 1st Viscount Hall, George Hall
- **successor1**: Hector McNeil


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office**: House of Lords, Member of the House of Lords
 Lords Temporal, Lord Temporal
- **term start**: 24 December 1974
- **term end**: 9 October 1995
Life Peerage
- **term start1**: 11 July 1951
- **term end1**: 23 October 1963
Hereditary Peerage
- **predecessor1**: Charles Douglas-Home, 13th Earl of Home, The 13th Earl of Home
- **successor1**: David Douglas-Home, 15th Earl of Home, The 15th Earl of Home (1995)
- **office2**: Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament
for Kinross and Western Perthshire (UK Parliament constituency), Kinross and Western Perthshire
- **term start2**: 8 November 1963
- **term end2**: 20 September 1974
- **predecessor2**: Gilmour Leburn
- **successor2**: Nicholas Fairbairn
- **office3**: Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament
for Lanark (UK Parliament constituency), Lanark
- **term start3**: 23 February 1950
- **term end3**: 11 July 1951
- **predecessor3**: Tom Steele
- **successor3**: Patrick Maitland, 17th Earl of Lauderdale, Patrick Maitland
- **term start4**: 27 October 1931
- **term end4**: 15 June 1945
- **predecessor4**: Thomas Dickson (Scottish politician), Thomas Dickson
- **successor4**: Tom Steele
- **birth name**: Alexander Frederick
- **birth place**: Mayfair, London, England
- **death place**: Coldstream, Scotland
- **resting place**: Lennel Churchyard, Coldstream
- **party**: Conservative Party (UK), Conservative
- **otherparty**: Unionist Party (Scotland), Unionist
- **parents**: Charles Douglas-Home, 13th Earl of Home, Charles Douglas-Home (father)
- **children**: 4, including David Douglas-Home, 15th Earl of Home, David
- **alma mater**: Christ Church, Oxford


## Infobox (cricketer)

- **child**: yes
- **batting**: Right-handed
- **bowling**: Right-arm fast-medium
- **columns**: 1
- **column1**: First-class cricket, First-class
- **matches1**: 10
- **runs1**: 147
- **bat avg1**: 16.33
- **100s/50s1**: –
- **top score1**: 37*
- **deliveries1**: –
- **wickets1**: 12
- **bowl avg1**: 30.25
- **fivefor1**: –
- **tenfor1**: –
- **best bowling1**: 3/43
- **catches/stumpings1**: 9/–


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **honorific-prefix**: The Right Honourable
- **name**: The Lord Home of the Hirsel
- **image**: Alec Douglas-Home (c1963).jpg
- **caption**: Douglas-Home c. 1963
- **alt**: head and shoulders image of clean shaven, slim, balding man of middle age
- **office**: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- **monarch**: Elizabeth II
- **term start**: 19 October 1963
- **term end**: 16 October 1964
- **predecessor**: Harold Macmillan
- **successor**: Harold Wilson
- **office2**: Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition
- **monarch2**: Elizabeth II
- **primeminister2**: Harold Wilson
- **term start2**: 16 October 1964
- **term end2**: 28 July 1965
- **predecessor2**: Harold Wilson
- **successor2**: Edward Heath
- **office3**: Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party
- **term start3**: 18 October 1963
- **term end3**: 28 July 1965
- **predecessor3**: Harold Macmillan
- **successor3**: Edward Heath