Eric Geddes

Sir Eric Geddes
First Lord of the Admiralty
In office
17 July 1917 – 10 January 1919
MonarchGeorge V
Prime MinisterDavid Lloyd George
Preceded bySir Edward Carson
Succeeded byWalter Long
Minister of Transport
In office
19 May 1919 – 7 November 1921
MonarchGeorge V
Prime MinisterDavid Lloyd George
Preceded byNew office
Succeeded byThe Viscount Peel
Personal details
Born(1875-09-26)26 September 1875
British India
Died22 June 1937(1937-06-22) (aged 61)
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
SpouseGwendolen Stokes

Sir Eric Campbell Geddes GCB GBE PC (26 September 1875 – 22 June 1937) was a British businessman and Conservative politician. With a background in railways, he served as head of Military Transportation on the Western Front, with the rank of major-general. He then served as First Lord of the Admiralty (with the rank of vice-admiral, despite its being a political position) between 1917 and 1919. He then served as the first Minister of Transport between 1919 and 1921, in which position he was responsible for the deep public spending cuts known as the "Geddes Axe".[1]

  1. ^ 'Sir Eric Geddes: Business & Government in War & Peace', by Keith Grieves (Pub. Manchester University Press, 1989).