Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan, (1894-1986). British Conservative statesman. A member of a family of publishers, he was educated at Eton and served in World War I. He entered parliament in 1924 and was a much praised housing minister (1951-54). As chancellor of the exchequer (1955-57) he introduced premium bonds. In 1957 he succeeded Anthony Eden as prime minister at a time when the Conservative party was divided over the Suez Crisis. In the 1959 general election he led the party to victory with the slogan “you’ve never had it so good”. He resigned in 1963 because of ill-health and retired from politics a year later. In his later years he criticized many of the social and economic policies of Margaret Thatcher. He was created Earl of Stockton in 1984. His memoirs include Winds of Change (1966) and Riding the Storm (1971).
