Iain Macleod

Iain Macleod
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office
20 June 1970 – 20 July 1970
Prime MinisterEdward Heath
Preceded byRoy Jenkins
Succeeded byAnthony Barber
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office
11 November 1965 – 20 June 1970
LeaderEdward Heath
Preceded byEdward Heath
Succeeded byRoy Jenkins
Leader of the House of Commons
In office
9 October 1961 – 20 October 1963
Prime MinisterHarold Macmillan
Preceded byRab Butler
Succeeded bySelwyn Lloyd
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office
9 October 1961 – 20 October 1963
Prime MinisterHarold Macmillan
Preceded byCharles Hill
Succeeded byThe Lord Blakenham
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office
9 October 1961 – 20 October 1963
LeaderHarold Macmillan
Preceded byRab Butler
Succeeded byThe Lord Blakenham
Secretary of State for the Colonies
In office
14 October 1959 – 9 October 1961
Prime MinisterHarold Macmillan
Preceded byAlan Lennox-Boyd
Succeeded byReginald Maudling
Minister of Labour and National Service
In office
20 December 1955 – 14 October 1959
Prime MinisterAnthony Eden
Harold Macmillan
Preceded byWalter Monckton
Succeeded byEdward Heath
Minister of Health
In office
7 May 1952 – 20 December 1955
Prime MinisterWinston Churchill
Anthony Eden
Preceded byHarry Crookshank
Succeeded byRobin Turton
Member of Parliament
for Enfield West
In office
23 February 1950 – 20 July 1970
Preceded byErnest Davies (Enfield)
Succeeded byCecil Parkinson
Personal details
Born
Iain Norman Macleod

(1913-11-11)11 November 1913
Skipton, United Kingdom
Died20 July 1970(1970-07-20) (aged 56)
London, United Kingdom
Political partyConservative
Spouse
(m. 1941)
Children2
Alma materGonville and Caius College, Cambridge

Iain Norman Macleod (11 November 1913 – 20 July 1970) was a British Conservative Party politician.

A playboy and professional bridge player in his twenties, after war service Macleod worked for the Conservative Research Department before entering Parliament in 1950. He was noted as a formidable Parliamentary debater and—later—as a platform orator. He was quickly appointed Minister of Health, later serving as Minister of Labour. He served an important term as Secretary of State for the Colonies under Harold Macmillan in the early 1960s, overseeing the independence of many African countries from British rule but earning the enmity of Conservative right-wingers, and the soubriquet that he was "too clever by half".

Macleod was unhappy with the "emergence" of Sir Alec Douglas-Home as party leader and prime minister in succession to Macmillan in 1963 (he claimed to have supported Macmillan's deputy Rab Butler, although it is unclear exactly what his recommendation had been). He refused to serve in Home's government, and while serving as editor of The Spectator alleged that the succession had been stitched up by Macmillan and a "magic circle" of Old Etonians.

Macleod did not contest the first ever Conservative Party leadership election in 1965, but endorsed the eventual winner Edward Heath. When the Conservatives returned to power in June 1970, he was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in Heath's government, but died suddenly only a month later.