Butler, Richard Austen

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Butler, Richard Austen (1902–82). Born in India and educated at Cambridge, ‘Rab’ Butler entered Parliament in 1929 as MP for Saffron Walden. As president of the Board of Education he was responsible for the Education Act (1944) which introduced a tripartite secondary system and the ‘11-plus’ examination. During his time as chairman of the Conservative research department, Butler helped to reconcile the Tories to the welfare state, reviving their fortunes in the post-war era. He served in all three of the great offices of state, as chancellor (1951–5), home secretary (1957–62), and foreign secretary (1963–5). He was twice passed over for leadership of the party in favour of Macmillan in 1957 and Douglas-Home in 1963. Butler retired from politics in 1965, became a life peer, and accepted the mastership of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Richard A. Smith

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