Clement Attlee
Early Life
Clement Richard Attlee was born on 3 January 1883 in Putney, an affluent district of London. He was the seventh of eight children of Henry Attlee, a solicitor, and Ellen Bravery Watson. His family was part of the upper middle class, with his father being a partner in the law firm of Attlee & Co.
Attlee attended Northaw School, a small preparatory school in Potters Bar, where he excelled acadically. In 1897, he was accepted into Haileybury, a prestigious public school. Here, he developed an interest in classics and history, subjects that would later influence his political ideology.
University and Early Career
In 1901, Attlee went on to study modern history at University College Oxford. He graduated with second-class honours in 1904. After his graduation, he trained as a barrister and was called to the bar by the Inner Temple in 1906.
However, his career took a different turn when he decided to work with the poor in the East End of London. He became the manager of the Haileybury Club, a boys' club in Stepney, in 1906. This experience had a profound impact on Attlee, leading him to join the Labour Party and abandon his legal career.
Political Career
Attlee's political career began when he was elected to the Stepney Borough Council in 1909. He served as the Mayor of Stepney from 1919 to 1920. In 1922, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Limehouse in the House of Commons.
Attlee served as the Postmaster General and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the first Labour Government led by Ramsay MacDonald in 1924. In the second Labour Government (1929-1931), he served as the Minister of Labour.
In 1935, Attlee became the leader of the Labour Party, a position he held for twenty years. His leadership saw the Labour Party through the Second World War and into government in the post-war period.
Prime Minister
Attlee became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1945, following the Labour Party's victory in the general election. His government implemented a series of reforms that laid the foundation of the modern British welfare state. These included the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1948, nationalisation of key industries, and the introduction of comprehensive social security benefits.
Attlee's government also oversaw the process of decolonisation of India and Burma, marking the beginning of the end of the British Empire.
Later Life and Legacy
Attlee stepped down as the leader of the Labour Party in 1955 and retired from the House of Commons in 1956. He was made the Earl Attlee and a member of the House of Lords, where he continued to be active until his health declined.
Attlee died on 8 October 1967. His legacy as the Prime Minister who created the welfare state and began the process of decolonisation has made him one of the most influential figures in British history.