ALLIED LEADERS (25): Right Hon. A. Alexander

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 48, 24 May 1940, Page 2

ALLIED LEADERS (25): Right Hon. A. Alexander

HE new First Lord of the Admiralty, who succeeds the Right Hon. Winston Churchill in one of the most important posts in the War Cabinet, is the Right Hon. Albert Alexander, P.C. He is'a man of strong convictions and deep religious beliefs. For years he was a lay preacher of the Baptist Church.

Before his elevation to Cabinet rank Mr. Alexander was leader of the Cooperative Group in the House of Commons. He is not new to his present office. During the Labour Government’s term of office under the late Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, Mr. Alexander was First Lord of the Admiralty, holding that post from 1929 to 1931. Unfortunately, during that period, the strength of the British Navy was seriously impaired by retrenchment. Mr. Alexander, who is 55 years of age, was born at Weston-super-Mare, the son of an artisan engineer. In 1922 he entered Parliament, representing one of the Sheffield divisions. In 1931 he lost his seat, but regained it in 1935. His first important post was that of Parliamentary Under-secretary to the Board of Trade in 1924. The new First Lord has always been interested in education and was formerly on the staff of the Education Committee of the Somerset County Council. During the Great War Mr. Alexander volunteered for services with the British Army and served in France, where he rose to the rank of captain. He has written numerous articles on co-operative and political subjects, and is a frequent contributor to English papers.