Clement Attlee

**Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee**  (3 January 1883 – 8 October 1967) was a British politician. Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951, he was the first Labour prime minister with a majority in government, and was very important in the setting up of the welfare state. He was made a member of the House of Lords after he retired, and became the first Earl Attlee.

Attlee died of pneumonia in 1967. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.

## Early life and education

Attlee was born in Putney. Attlee was educated at Haileybury College. He graduated from University College, Oxford with a Second Class Honours BA in Modern History in 1904.

## Career

Attlee began a career as a barrister after graduating from Oxford. This lasted for two years. He then worked as manager of Haileybury House in East London. Attlee's work at the House inspired him to become a socialist. In 1907 he joined the Fabian Society. In 1908 he joined the Independent Labour Party. In 1911, he was employed by the UK Government. In 1919 Attlee became Mayor of Stepney. He was elected to Parliament in 1922 as the MP for Limehouse., In 1935 he was elected leader of the Labour Party. From 1942 to 1945 he was deputy prime minister.  Attlee resigned as party leader after Labour lost the 1955 election.  He was made a member of the Order of Merit in 1951 and a Knight of the Garter in 1956. In 1958 he started the Homosexual Law Reform Society with Bertrand Russell.

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office6**: Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- **predecessor6**: Office created
- **primeminister6**: Winston Churchill
- **successor6**: Herbert Morrison
- **term start6**: 19 February 1942
- **term end6**: 23 May 1945
- **office7**: Lord President of the Council
- **term start7**: 24 September 1943
- **term end7**: 23 May 1945
- **primeminister7**: Winston Churchill
- **predecessor7**: John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley, Sir John Anderson
- **successor7**: Frederick Marquis, 1st Earl of Woolton, The Lord Woolton
- **office8**: Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
- **term start8**: 15 February 1942
- **term end8**: 24 September 1943
- **primeminister8**: Winston Churchill
- **predecessor8**: Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury, The Viscount Cranborne
- **successor8**: The Viscount Cranborne
- **office9**: Lord Privy Seal, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
- **term start9**: 11 May 1940
- **term end9**: 15 February 1942
- **primeminister9**: Winston Churchill
- **predecessor9**: Kingsley Wood, Sir Kingsley Wood
- **successor9**: Stafford Cripps, Sir Stafford Cripps


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office10**: Postmaster General of the United Kingdom, Postmaster General
- **term start10**: 13 March 1931
- **term end10**: 25 August 1931
- **primeminister10**: Ramsay MacDonald
- **predecessor10**: Hastings Lees-Smith
- **successor10**: William Ormsby-Gore, 4th Baron Harlech, William Ormsby-Gore
- **office11**: Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- **term start11**: 23 May 1930
- **term end11**: 13 March 1931
- **primeminister11**: Ramsay MacDonald
- **predecessor11**: Oswald Mosley, Sir Oswald Mosley
- **successor11**: Arthur Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede, The Lord Ponsonby
- **office12**: Under-Secretary of State for War, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War
- **term start12**: 23 January 1924
- **term end12**: 4 November 1924
- **primeminister12**: Ramsay MacDonald
- **predecessor12**: Wilfrid Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple, Wilfrid Ashley
- **successor12**: Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow, Richard Onslow


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **embed**: yes
- **office13**: Member of the House of Lords
- **status13**: Lords Temporal, Lord Temporal
- **term label13**: Hereditary peerage
- **term start13**: 16 December 1955
- **term end13**: 8 October 1967
- **predecessor13**: Earl Attlee, Earldom created
- **successor13**: Martin Attlee, 2nd Earl Attlee, The 2nd Earl Attlee
- **office14**: Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament
 for Walthamstow West (UK Parliament constituency), Walthamstow West
- **term start14**: 23 February 1950
- **term end14**: 16 December 1955
- **predecessor14**: Valentine McEntee
- **successor14**: Edward Redhead
- **office15**: Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament
 for  Limehouse (UK Parliament constituency), Limehouse
- **term start15**: 15 November 1922
- **term end15**: 3 February 1950
- **predecessor15**: William Pearce (Liberal politician), Sir William Pearce
- **successor15**: Constituency abolished


## Infobox (officeholder)

- **honorific prefix**: Major (United Kingdom), Major, The Right Honourable
- **name**: The Earl Attlee
- **image**: Person attlee2.jpg
- **caption**: Clement Attlee, around 1945
- **office**: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- **monarch**: George VI
- **deputy**: Herbert Morrison
- **term start**: 26 July 1945
- **term end**: 26 October 1951
- **predecessor**: Winston Churchill
- **successor**: Winston Churchill
- **office1**: Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition
- **term start1**: 26 October 1951
- **term end1**: 25 November 1955
- **predecessor1**: Winston Churchill
- **successor1**: Herbert Morrison
- **monarch2**: George VI
- **primeminister2**: Winston Churchill
- **term start2**: 23 May 1945
- **term end2**: 26 July 1945
- **predecessor2**: Arthur Greenwood
- **successor2**: Winston Churchill
- **term start3**: 25 October 1935
- **term end3**: 11 May 1940
- **predecessor3**: George Lansbury
- **successor3**: Hastings Lees-Smith
- **office4**: Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party
- **term start4**: 25 October 1935
- **term end4**: 7 December 1955
- **predecessor4**: George Lansbury
- **successor4**: Hugh Gaitskell
- **office5**: Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
- **leader5**: George Lansbury
- **term start5**: 25 October 1932
- **term end5**: 25 October 1935
- **predecessor5**: J. R. Clynes
- **successor5**: Arthur Greenwood
- **birth name**: Clement Richard Attlee
- **birth place**: Putney, Putney, Surrey, England
- **death place**: City of Westminster, Westminster, London, England
- **restingplace**: Westminster Abbey
- **party**: Labour Party (UK), Labour
- **children**: 4, including Martin Attlee, 2nd Earl Attlee, Martin, 2nd Earl Attlee
- **serviceyears**: 1914–1919
- **rank**: Major
- **battles**: * First World War
**Gallipoli campaign
**Mesopotamian campaign
**Western Front (World War I), Western Front