thumb|Air Council in session at the Air Ministry in July 1940.
<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: thumb|right|200px|[[Archibald Sinclair, 1st Viscount Thurso|Sir Archibald Sinclair, Bt, later Viscount Thurso, who served as Secretary of State for Air between 1940 and 1945.]] -->
The Secretary of State for Air was a secretary of state position in the British government that existed from 1919 to 1964. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. The Secretary of State for Air was supported by the Under-Secretary of State for Air.
History
The position was created on 10 January 1919 to manage the Royal Air Force. In 1946, the three posts of Secretary of State for War, First Lord of the Admiralty, and Secretary of State for Air became formally subordinated to that of Minister of Defence, which had itself been created in 1940 for the co-ordination of defence and security issues. On 1 April 1964, the Air Ministry was incorporated into the newly created united Ministry of Defence, and the position of Secretary of State for Air was abolished.
List of leaders
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan=99 |
Chairman of the Joint War Air Committee, 1916
|-
! colspan=3 rowspan=2| Chairman
! colspan=3| Term of office
! rowspan=2| Political party
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Edward Stanley<br/>17th Earl of Derby
| <br/>1916
| <br/>1916
|
| Conservative
|-
! colspan=99 |
Presidents of the Air Board, 1916–1917
|-
! colspan=3 rowspan=2| President
! colspan=3| Term of office
! rowspan=2| Political party
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| George Curzon<br/>1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston
| <br/>1916
| <br/>1917
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Weetman Pearson<br/>1st Viscount Cowdray
| <br/>1917
| <br/>1917
|
| Liberal
|-
! colspan=99 |
Presidents of the Air Council, 1917–1919
|-
! colspan=3 rowspan=2| President
! colspan=3| Term of office
! rowspan=2| Political party
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|-
|
| 75px
| Harold Harmsworth<br/>1st Baron Rothermere
| <br/>1917
| <br/>1918
|
|
|-
|
| 75px
| William Weir<br/>1st Baron Weir
| <br/>1918
| <br/>1919
|
|
|-
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| J. E. B. Seely<br/>
| <br/>1919
| <br/>1919
|
| Conservative
|-
! colspan=99 |
Secretaries of State for Air, 1919–1964
|-
! colspan=3 rowspan=2| Secretary
! colspan=3| Term of office
! rowspan=2| Political party
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Time in office
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Winston Churchill<br/>
| <br/>1919
| <br/>1921
|
| Liberal
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Frederick Edward Guest<br/>
| <br/>1921
| <br/>1922
|
| Liberal
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Sir Samuel Hoare<br/>
| <br/>1922
| <br/>1924
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Christopher Thomson<br/>1st Baron Thomson
| <br/>1924
| <br/>1924
|
| Labour
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Sir Samuel Hoare<br/>
| <br/>1924
| <br/>1929
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Christopher Thomson<br/>1st Baron Thomson
| <br/>1929
| <br/>1930†
|
| Labour
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 102x102px
| William Mackenzie<br/>1st Baron Amulree
| <br/>1930
| <br/>1931
|
| Labour
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart<br/>7th Marquess of Londonderry
| <br/>1931
| <br/>1935
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Philip Cunliffe-Lister<br/>1st Viscount Swinton
| <br/>1935
| <br/>1938
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Sir Kingsley Wood<br/>
| <br/>1938
| <br/>1940
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Sir Samuel Hoare<br/>
| <br/>1940
| <br/>1940
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Sir Archibald Sinclair<br/>
| <br/>1940
| <br/>1945
|
| Liberal
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Harold Macmillan<br/>
| <br/>1945
| <br/>1945
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| William Wedgwood Benn<br/>1st Viscount Stansgate
| <br/>1945
| <br/>1946
|
| Labour
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Philip Noel-Baker<br/>
| <br/>1946
| <br/>1947
|
| Labour
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
|
| Arthur Henderson<br/>
| <br/>1947
| <br/>1951
|
| Labour
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| William Sidney<br/>6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley
| <br/>1951
| <br/>1955
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
|
| Nigel Birch<br/>
| <br/>1955
| <br/>1957
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| George Ward<br/>
| <br/>1957
| <br/>1960
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Julian Amery<br/>
| <br/>1960
| <br/>1962
|
| Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Hugh Fraser<br/>
| <br/>1962
| <br/>1964
|
| Conservative
|}
Notes
External links
- Hansard – Secretary of State for Air