Eric Campbell Geddes
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR Eric Campbell Geddes, G.C.B., G.B.E., P.C. (26 September, 1875 – 22 June, 1937) was a transport administrator, politician and First Lord of the Admiralty during the First World War.
Early Life & Career
First Lord of the Admiralty
The most recent historian of the Admiralty during the war suggests, "He did instil a greater rationale into Admiralty administration, but the creation of the Operations Committee … did not make any real difference to the running of the Naval Staff."[1]
Later Career
As chairman of the Committee on National Expenditure, Geddes recommended tremendous reductions in government programs to flatten spiraling budgets which had caused per capita taxation to increase 33% in the post-war years. The final spending reductions enacted, popularly dubbed the "Geddes Axe", affected military and naval budgets profoundly: military spending of all kinds shrank over 40% between the 1921-22 and the 1922-23 Programmes. Though a gradual increase would follow this abrupt reduction, the effect on ship construction and naval readiness measures was profound.
See Also
Bibliography
- "Sir Eric Geddes" (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 23 June, 1937. Issue 47718, col D, p. 18.
- Grieves, Keith (1989). Sir Eric Geddes: Business and Government in War and Peace. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0719023459.
Political Appointments | ||
Preceded by New Appointment |
Controller of the Navy 1917 |
Succeeded by Sir Alan G. Anderson
|
Preceded by The Rt. Hon. Sir Edward H. Carson |
First Lord of the Admiralty 1917 – 1919 |
Succeeded by The Rt. Hon. Walter H. Long
|
Footnotes
- ↑ Black. The British Naval Staff in the First World War. p. 228.