George Lucas, 1st Baron Lucas of Chilworth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George William Lucas, 1st Baron Lucas of Chilworth (29 March 1896–11 October 1967), was a British businessman and Labour politician.

Lucas was the son of Percy William Lucas of Oxford. He was involved in the motor trade industry and served during the Second World War as Chairman of the National Joint Industrial Council of the Motor Vehicle Retail and Repairing Trade. In 1946 he was given a peerage by the Labour government of Clement Attlee as Baron Lucas of Chilworth, of Chilworth in the County of Southampton. He then served under Attlee as a Lord-in-Waiting (government whip in the House of Lords) from 1948 to 1949, as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard (Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords) from 1949 to 1950 and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport from 1950 to 1951. However, he later fell out with the Labour Party over nationalisation and moved to the cross-benches.

Lord Lucas of Chilworth married Sonia, daughter of Marcus Finkelstein, in 1917. He died in October 1967, aged 71, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son Michael, who became a Conservative government minister. His second son Ivor Lucas became a diplomat and served as British Ambassador to Syria. Lady Lucas of Chilworth died in 1979.

Political offices
Preceded by The Lord Henderson	Lord-in-Waiting 1948–1949	Succeeded by The Lord Darwen
Preceded by The Lord Shepherd	Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard 1949–1950	Succeeded by The Earl of Lucan
Preceded by James Callaghan	Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport 1950–1951	Succeeded by Joseph Gurney Braithwaite
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by New Creation	Baron Lucas of Chilworth	Succeeded by Michael William George Lucas

[edit] References

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
• Daily Telegraph obituary of 2nd Baron Lucas of Chilworth