Richard Austen Butler Biography

Birth of Richard Austen Butler

Elected Member of Parliament for Saffron Walden

Appointed Junior Minister at the India Office

Appointed Junior Minister at the Foreign Office

Appointed Minister of Education

Introduces the 1944 Education Act

Appointed Chairman of the Conservative Research Department

Appointed Minister of Labour, during Churchills "caretaker Government"

Appointed Chairman of the Conservative Industrial Policy Committee

The Industrial Policy Committee draws up the Industrial Charter, "Butskellism"

The Industrial Charter is repeated in "The Right Road for Britain"

Draws up the Manifesto entitled, "This Is The Road" for the general election

Draws up the Manifesto entitled, "This Is The Road" for the general election

Appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer

Proposes the "Robot" scheme to float the pound & allow exchange rates "to take the strain"

Sterling is floated by Rab Butler prior to his 1952 Buget

Reduces the standard rate of tax to 9 shillings in the pound. Due to a trade surplus 6d is taken off the standard rate of income tax

Due to a trade surplus 6d is taken off the standard rate of income tax

Appointed Chairman of the Cabinet, due to the ill health of Churchill & Eden

Reduces taxation prior to the general election

Reduces taxation prior to the general election

Appointed Leader of the House of Commons

Appointed Lord Privy Seal

Appointed Home Secretary

Appointed Deputy Prime Minister

Appointed First Secretary of State

Narrowly loses the Conservative Party leadership elections to Douglas-home

Appointed Foreign Minister

Butler retires from politics