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'''Henry David Reginald Margesson, 1st Viscount Margesson''', of Rugby ([[July 26]] [[1890]]-[[December 24]] [[1965]]) was a British [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician most popularly remembered for his tenure as Government [[Chief Whip]] in the [[1930s]]. His reputation was of a stern disciplinarian who was one of the harshest and most effective [[Whip (politics)|whips]]. This assessment has, however, been challenged by some, who argue from weaknesses of his system, and the number of high-profile [[rebellion]]s during his tenure.

The son of Sir Mortimer Margesson, he grew up in [[Worcestershire]] and was educated at [[Harrow School]]. and [[Magdalene College, Cambridge]]. He did not complete his degree, choosing instead to seek his fortune in the [[United States of America]]; but the [[World War I|First World War]] intervened.

Margesson served as an [[adjutant]] in the [[11th Hussars]]. After the war he entered politics at the suggestion of [[Arthur Hamilton Lee, 1st Baron Lee of Fareham|Lord Lee of Fareham]]. In the [[UK general election, 1922|1922 general election]] he was elected as [[Member of Parliament]] for [[West Ham]], [[Upton]]. 

Very soon after his election he was appointed [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to the [[Secretary of State for Employment|Minister of Labour]] [[A. Montague-Barlow]]. In the [[UK general election, 1923|1923 general election]] he lost his seat, but at the [[UK general election, 1924|1924 general election]] he returned to Parliament for [[Rugby]], the seat for which he would sit for the next eighteen years, defeating the future [[National Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal National]] leader [[Ernest Brown]] in the process.

Margesson was appointed as an Assisstant Government Whip, then two years later he became a more senior whip with the title [[Junior Lord of the Treasury]]. He held this until the Conservative's defeat in the [[UK general election, 1929|1929 general election]] and in [[August]] [[1931]] he was reappointed to the same position upon the formation of the [[UK National Government|National Government]]. Following the [[UK general election, 1931|November 1931 general election]] he was promoted to the senior position of Government Chief Whip.

Margesson's position was in many ways unprecedented,having the task of keeping in power a grouping comprised of the Conservatives, [[National Labour Party (UK 1930s)|National Labour]] and two groups of Liberals - the official [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] and the [[National Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal National Party]] all behind a single government that sought to stand above partisan politics. With the government as whole commanding the support of five hundred and fifty-six MPs, as opposed to just fifty-eight opposition members, his main task was to ensure that the government stayed together and was ableto pass contentious legislation without risking a major breach within the government. In several areas this proved tricky as different sections of the National combination came to denounce areas of government policy. Margesson adopted a method of strong disciplinarianism, combined with selective use of patronage and the social effect of ostracism to secure every vote possible. Despite this he remained a much liked individual, with many members expressing personal admiration for him. Away from his duties he was known to be quite sociable and within the parliamentary party few bore him ill.

A major faultline lay over the question of introducing [[protectionism|protective tariffs]] on imports as a prelude to negotiating a [[customs union]] within the [[British Empire]]. This proposed policy had deeply divided the Conservatives over the previous thirty years, but by now they, along with most of the National Labour and Liberal National members of the government had become in favour of the policy amidst the chaos of the [[Great Depression]]. However the Liberal Party remained committed to the principle of [[Free Trade]] and were deeply reluctant to compromise. Whilst the Liberals themselves barely commanded the support of thirty-three MPs, they were one of only two parties in the government with a long independent history and there were fears that their withdrawal would turn the National Government into a mere Conservative rump, something the National Labour Prime Minister [[Ramsay MacDonald]] wished to avoid. At one stage it was agreed that members of the cabinet would suspend the principle of [[collective responsibility]] and "agree to differ" on the issue of tariffs. Matters were complicated further by the question of Cabinet appointments. When the Liberal [[Secretary of State for Education and Skills|President of the Board of Education]] Sir [[Donald Maclean]] died, Margesson insisted that to appoint another Liberal merely on the basis of party balance would inflame tensions amongst Conservative MPs, potentially lead to a poor appointment and maintain an imbalance since the Liberals had one more Cabinet Minister than the Liberal Nationals (and the National Labour [[Lord Privy Seal]] [[Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden|Lord Snowden]] was increasingly siding with the Liberals on all key divisions, thus providing a surrogate), despite the latter having two more MPs. The appointment of the Conservative [[Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Irwin]] upset the Liberals who could not secure an assurance that the next Cabinet vacancy would be filled by a Liberal.

In the summer of [[1932]] the [[Ottawa Agreement]] was negotiated between the Dominion Governments and Free Trade seemed a dead cause within government. In September the Liberals resigned their ministerial offices, though did not withdraw complete support for the government until the following November. However the National Government did not break up as the remaining National Labour and Liberal National elements remained in government.

The government also came under fire from the [[Diehard Conservative (UK)|Diehard]] wing of the Conservative Party over plans to implement [[Indian Home Rule]]. This policy was widely felt to be a hangover from the previous [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government and one that few Conservative governments would have implemented. Many believed that the plan was only being pursued because of a desire to prove the government's non-partisan credentials and Conservative leader [[Stanley Baldwin]]'s determination to implement the policy. For some the question of the success of the policy became a question of the survival of the National Government. Opponents to Indian Home Rule found several spokespersons, most notably [[Winston Churchill]], and they harried the Government at every stage, culminating in a rebellion of nearly one hundred Conservative MPs voting against the third reading of the Bill - the single highest number of Conservatives to vote against a three line whip in the twentieth century. Despite this, the Bill passed overwhelmingly.

Margesson was retained as Chief Whip when Stanley Baldwin retook the Premiership in [[June]] [[1935]] and now had to face further ruptions in the party over foreign policy and other matters. The government's majority was cut to two hundred and fifty in the [[UK general election, 1935|November 1935 general election]] and the following month the leaking of the proposed [[Hoare-Laval Plan]] to grant two-thirds of [[Abyssinia]] to invading [[Italy]] provoked outrage amongst Conservative MPs. Margesson's reading of the mood led to the [[Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs|Foreign Secretary]] Sir [[Samuel Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood|Samuel Hoare]] being dropped from the government to abate feelings and keep the government in power.

The late [[1930s]] were a turbulent time within the National Government, with rebellions over foreign policy, over unemployment, over agriculture and other matters routinely threatened to rock the government. Margesson was instrumental in heading off many of these rebellions and performing damage limitation upon others. He was instrumental in warding these of fo first Baldwin and then [[Neville Chamberlain]]. However a well of discontent with the government's foreign policy grew, especially after Britain entered the [[World War II|Second World War]]. Eight months into the conflict, severe reverses in the [[Norwegian Campaign]] led to the two day "[[Norway Debate]]" of [[May 7]] and [[May 8]] [[1940]] in which the government came under severe criticism from its own supporters and witnessed a massive rebellion on a [[motion of confidence]]. The government maintained a majority, but Margesson's soundings revealed that that majority was imperilled unless the political composition of the government was widened. When Chamberlain realised he was unable to achieve this he resigned and was succeeded by Winston Churchill.

Many were surprised that Churchill retained Margesson as Chief Whip, little realising that there was no personal animosity between the two and that Churchill would have regarded Margesson lower if he had not carried out his functions as ChiefWhip. Margesson proved a useful butres of support as Churchill consolidated his position in government and when at the end of [[1940]] the position of [[Secretary of State for War]] fell vacant, Margesson was promoted to it.

In this office Margesson proved competent and efficient, but when in [[February]] [[1942]] Britain suffered severe military setbacks, including the loss of [[Singapore]], Churchill was forced to make changes to his ministerial team and find scapegoats for the disasters. Margesson was dropped and replaced by his own [[Permanent Under-Secretary]] Sir [[P.J. Grigg]] - an unprecedented move. Margesson was first told of the change by Grigg himself, but accepted his fate as necessary for the government's future. Later that year he was made '''Viscount Margesson''' and his political influence waned heavily. He subsequently worked in [[City of London|the City]].

{| border="2" align="center"
|width="30%" align="center"|Preceded by:<br>'''[[Anthony Eden]]'''
|width="40%" align="center"|'''[[Secretary of State for War]]'''<br>1940&ndash;1942
|width="30%" align="center"|Followed by:<br>'''[[P.J. Grigg]]'''
|}

{| border="2" align="center"
|-
|width="30%" align="center"|Preceded by:<br>'''New Creation'''
|width="40%" align="center"|'''[[Viscount Margesson]]'''
|width="30%" align="center"|Followed by:<br>'''[[Francis Vere Hampden Margesson, 2nd Viscount Margesson|Francis Margesson]]'''
|}


[[Category:1890 births|Margesson, David, 1st Viscount]]
[[Category:1965 deaths|Margesson, David, 1st Viscount]]
[[Category:Secretaries of State for War (UK)|Margesson, David, 1st Viscount]]
[[Category:Peers|Margesson, David, 1st Viscount]]
[[Category:British MPs|Margesson, David]]
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