Herbert Morrison

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Herbert Morrison

Herbert Morrison.Portrait.jpg

Name Herbert Stanley Morrisson (3 January, 1888- 6 March, 1965)
Nicknames Herb (everyone), Our Herb (London Labourites), the Cockney Socialist (the media)
Politics
Party Labour
Constituency Hackney South (1923-1924, 1929-1930, 1935-1955)
Positions • Foreign Secretary (1951)
• Deputy Prime Minister (1945-1951)
• Leader of the House (1945-1951)
• Home Secretary (1940-1945)
Likes Social climbing, the Daily Mirror
Dislikes ?
Friends Ellen Wilkinson, Alfred Salter
Enemies Ernest Bevin, Clement Attlee
Relationships
Partners Margaret Morrison (married),
Ellen Wilkinson (194?-1947)
Children Mary (1921)
Personal Attributes
Nationality English
Religion Atheist (described Socialism as his religion)
Sexuality Straight
Height ?
Eye Colour Brown
Handedness Right
Accent Strong Cockney

The ultimate machine politician, but a sincere believer in Socialism's ethical dimension.~ David Kynaston, Austerity Britain

Herbert Morrison was a Labour Party politician and a major figure in the wartime coalition and the post-war Attlee Government. He was Attlee's greatest rival, and felt that he had robbed him of his rightful place as Prime Minister. He is the grandfather of Peter Mandelson.

Life and Career[edit | edit source]

Early Life[edit | edit source]

Herb as a young man

Herb was born into a working class family. As a boy, he became blind in his right eye due to an infection. He left school at 14, and worked as an errand boy, becoming interested in radical left-wing politics. He was a conscientious objector during the first World War, though he would have been exempted from conscription anyway due to his problems with sight.

Early Political Career[edit | edit source]

Mayor Herb

He became Mayor of Hackney in 1920, and became involved in London Labour politics, being elected to the London City Council in 1922, and then becoming MP for Hackney South the next year. He became close to Alfred Salter, a left-wing journalist who wrote that:

Herbert Morrison is one of the coming men. He has risen to his present position as a national figure by sheer native ability and grit. He has had no advantages of any kind, no external assistance, and no family or other influence to help him make his way in life. He owes his fortune to character and capacity... It is not too much to say that he has built up the London movement from practically nothing to its proud position as one of the most important and influential elements in the British Labour Party.

He lost his seat in 1924 amidst a huge defeat for Labour under Ramsay MacDonald, was briefly appointed to Cabinet in 1929, but again lost his seat in 1931. He became leader of the London County Council in 1934, which gave him complete control over local services in London. He declared it as his aim to 'build the Tories out of London', referring to building social housing for the poor in areas concentrated with Tory voters. He created the London Transport Board. unifying its transport system, created the Metropolitan Green Belt, developed health and education and pressed for the replacement of Waterloo Bridge.

World War II[edit | edit source]

Returning to Parliament in 1935, he was appointed as Minister for Supply by Winston Churchill, and became Home Secretary the next year. He played a large role in aid raid defence during the Blitz, building bomb shelters in London, and coordinating the National Fire Service. Due to the difficult circumstances, he was forced to take many decisions that would make him unpopular with his Party, such as by banning the Daily Worker and releasing Oswald Moseley, who had been imprisoned without a trial.

The "Big Three" - Herb with Ernie and Clem

Under Attlee[edit | edit source]

Herb throws a party in Number Ten for Clem, because he knows Clem hates parties.

Herbert Morrison co-ordinated the 1945 election, which Labour won by a landslide in a Britain that was changed by the war. Ignobly, he attempted to wrestle the leadership of the Labour Party from Clem as Clem prepared to go to Buckingham Palace to kiss hands with the King. This failed, and he became Deputy Prime Minister.

As Deputy Prime Minister, he was notable for organising the Festival of Britain and for attempting to block House of Lords reform, and for continuing to make attempts on Clem's leadership. He made an enemy in Ernest Bevin, the Foreign Secretary and Attlee loyalist. It was said that:

Ernie Bevin could not stand Herbert Morrison, who had been a City boss when Bevin had been head of one of the biggest unions and the two had clashed. I would think that Bevin declared war on Morrison in the 1930s and that they were never going to come together. You could see his hackles rise every time, especially if Morrison tried to encroach on foreign affairs.

He became Foreign Secretary in 1951, but his role was cut short when Labour lost the 1951 election.

In Opposition, Herb was determined to wrench the leadership from Clem, but Clem stood firm with the sole purpose of keeping Herb out of the job. He eventually resigned in 1956, when he was satisfied that Herb was too old to run for the leadership.

Full List of Appointments
• Home Secretary (1940-1945)
• Leader of the House (1945-1951)
• Lord President of the Council (1945-1951)
• Deputy Prime Minister (1945-1951)
• Foreign Secretary (1951)

Personal Life[edit | edit source]

Ellen Wilkinson

Herb was estranged from his wife, Margaret, and instead pursued several affairs, most notably with Ellen Wilkinson, the tiny, red-haired, left-wing Labour MP who was besotted by him. Ellen was Minister for Education in Attlee's Cabinet, and the affair was kept secret to protect Herb's reputation. She became depressed that he would not leave his wife to marry her, and committed suicide by drug overdose in 1947 during the Big Freeze.

Portrayal[edit | edit source]

In the Media[edit | edit source]

Herb was known with affection among poor Londoners as "Our Herb", and was dubbed "the Cockney Socialist", due to fitting the London stereotype so closely.

In Fanon[edit | edit source]

Meme[edit | edit source]

On the meme, Herb is typically paired with Clement Attlee (Attison).