Eden ministry

In April 1955, following the resignation of Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, then-Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, was invited to form government as he took over as Conservative Party (UK)|Leader of the Conservative Party].
Eden then shortly asked Queen Elizabeth II to dissolve Parliament and call a general election for 26 May. Winning a majority of 60, he then resigned the office on 10 January 1957.

History

Formation

In April 1955, Sir Anthony Eden succeeded Sir Winston Churchill as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and finally reached the post he had coveted for so long. The original composition of Eden's cabinet was remarkable for the fact that ten out of the original eighteen members were Old Etonians: Eden, Salisbury, Crookshank, Macmillan, Home, Stuart, Thorneycroft, Heathcoat Amory, Sandys and Peake were all educated at Eton College.
He initially retained Rab Butler, with whom he did not get along, as Chancellor of the Exchequer. At the first cabinet reshuffle in December 1955, Eden demoted him to Lord Privy Seal and Leader [of the House of Commons]. Eden was succeeded as foreign secretary by future prime minister Harold Macmillan, who, however, only held this post until December of the same year, when he replaced Butler as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Selwyn Lloyd gained his first cabinet post when he succeeded Macmillan as minister of defence in April 1955, and again replaced Macmillan as foreign secretary in December of that year. Another future prime minister, Alec Douglas-Home, entered the cabinet as Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations in 1955. Gwilym Lloyd George, younger son of former Liberal leader David Lloyd George, remained as home secretary.

Fate

Eden's decision to take military action over the Suez Crisis of 1956 caused major embarrassment for Britain and their French allies. Eden, then already in declining health, resigned as prime minister and Leader of the Conservative Party in January 1957. Harold Macmillan was chosen over Rab Butler to succeed as party leader and prime minister.

Cabinet

Changes

20 December 1955 reshuffle

Rab Butler succeeded Harry Crookshank as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons.
Harold Macmillan succeeded Butler as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Selwyn Lloyd succeeded Macmillan as Foreign Secretary.
Sir Walter Monckton succeeded Lloyd as Minister of Defence.
Iain Macleod succeeded Monckton as Minister of Labour and National Service.
Lord Selkirk succeeds Lord Woolton as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Minister of Works, Patrick Buchan-Hepburn, entered the cabinet
Osbert Peake retired and his successor as Minister of Pensions and National Insurance was not in the cabinet.

19 October 1956

In October 1956, Sir Walter Monckton became Paymaster General, a post which had been vacant since Lord Selkirk's promotion to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Antony Henry Head succeeded Monckton as Minister of Defence.

List of ministers

Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.

Office	Name	Dates
Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury	Sir Anthony Eden	6 April 19559 January 1957
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain	David Maxwell Fyfe, 1st Viscount Kilmuir	April 1955
Leader of the House of Lords Lord President of the Council	Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury	April 1955
Leader of the House of Commons Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal	Harry Crookshank	April 1955
Leader of the House of Commons Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal	R. A. Butler	20 December 1955
Chancellor of the Exchequer	R. A. Butler	April 1955
Chancellor of the Exchequer	Harold Macmillan	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury	Patrick Buchan-Hepburn	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury	Edward Heath	30 December 1955
Financial Secretary to the Treasury	Henry Brooke	April 1955
Economic Secretary to the Treasury	Sir Edward Boyle	7 April 1955
Economic Secretary to the Treasury	Derek Walker-Smith	11 November 1956
Lords of the Treasury	Edward Heath	April 195520 December 1955
Lords of the Treasury	Hendrie Oakshott	April 195513 June 1955
Lords of the Treasury	Martin Redmayne	April 19559 January 1957
Lords of the Treasury	Richard Thompson	April 19558 April 1956
Lords of the Treasury	Gerard Wills	April 19559 January 1957
Lords of the Treasury	Peter Legh	13 June 19559 January 1957
Lords of the Treasury	Edward Wakefield	24 January 19569 January 1957
Lords of the Treasury	Harwood Harrison	8 April 19569 January 1957
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Harold Macmillan	7 April 1955
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Selwyn Lloyd	20 December 1955
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs	Gerald Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading	April 19559 January 1957
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs	Anthony Nutting	April 19553 November 1956
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs	Allan Noble	9 November 19569 January 1957
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Robin Turton	April 195520 December 1955
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Douglas Dodds-Parker	20 December 19559 January 1957
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Lord John Hope	April 19559 November 1956
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	David Ormsby-Gore	9 November 19569 January 1957
Secretary of State for the Home Department and Welsh Affairs	Gwilym Lloyd-George	April 1955
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department	Sir Hugh Lucas-Tooth	April 195520 December 1955
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department	Stormont Mancroft, 2nd Baron Mancroft	April 19559 January 1957
First Lord of the Admiralty	James Thomas	April 1955
First Lord of the Admiralty	Quintin Hogg, 2nd Viscount Hailsham	2 September 1956
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty	Allan Noble	April 1955
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty	George Ward	20 December 1955
Civil Lord of the Admiralty	Simon Wingfield Digby	April 1955
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries	Derick Heathcoat-Amory	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries	Richard Nugent	April 19559 January 1957
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries	Michael Hicks Beach, 2nd Earl St Aldwyn	April 19559 January 1957
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries	Harmar Nicholls	7 April 19559 January 1957
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries	William Deedes	20 December 19559 January 1957
Secretary of State for Air	William Sidney, 6th Baron de L'Isle and Dudley	April 1955
Secretary of State for Air	Nigel Birch	20 December 1955
Under-Secretary of State for Air	George Ward	April 1955
Under-Secretary of State for Air	Christopher Soames	20 December 1955
Secretary of State for the Colonies	Alan Lennox-Boyd	April 1955
Minister of State for the Colonies	Henry Hopkinson	April 1955
Minister of State for the Colonies	John Hare	20 December 1955
Minister of State for the Colonies	John Maclay	18 October 1956
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies	Alexander Lloyd, 2nd Baron Lloyd	April 1955
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations	Alec Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home	7 April 1955
Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations	Douglas Dodds-Parker	April 1955
Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations	Allan Noble	20 December 1955
Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations	Lord John Hope	9 November 1956
Minister of Defence	Selwyn Lloyd	7 April 1955
Minister of Defence	Sir Walter Monckton	20 December 1955
Minister of Defence	Antony Head	18 October 1956
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence	Peter Carrington, 6th Baron Carrington	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence	Archibald Acheson, 6th Earl of Gosford	26 May 1956
Minister of Education	Sir David Eccles	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education	Dennis Vosper	April 1955
Minister of Food	Derick Heathcoat-Amory	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food	Charles Hill	April 1955
Minister of Fuel and Power	Geoffrey Lloyd	April 1955
Minister of Fuel and Power	Aubrey Jones	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Fuel and Power	Lancelot Joynson-Hicks	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Fuel and Power	David Lockhart-Mure Renton	20 December 1955
Minister of Health	Iain Macleod	April 1955
Minister of Health	Robin Turton	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health	Patricia Hornsby-Smith	April 1955
Minister of Housing and Local Government	Duncan Sandys	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government	William Deedes	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government	Enoch Powell	20 December 1955
Minister of Labour and National Service	Sir Walter Monckton	April 1955
Minister of Labour and National Service	Iain Macleod	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour	Harold Watkinson	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour	Robert Carr	20 December 1955
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	Frederick Marquis, 1st Viscount Woolton	April 1955
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	George Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk	20 December 1955
Minister without Portfolio	Geoffrey FitzClarence, 5th Earl of Munster	April 19558 January 1957
Paymaster General	George Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk	April 1955
Paymaster General	Vacant	20 December 1955
Paymaster General	Sir Walter Monckton	18 October 1956
Minister of Pensions	Osbert Peake	April 1955
Minister of Pensions	John Boyd-Carpenter	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions	John Smyth	April 195520 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions	Ernest Marples	April 195520 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions	Edith Pitt	20 December 19559 January 1957
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions	Richard Wood	20 December 19559 January 1957
Postmaster-General	Charles Hill	7 April 1955
Assistant Postmaster-General	David Gammans	April 1955
Assistant Postmaster-General	Cuthbert Alport	20 December 1955
Secretary of State for Scotland	James Stuart	April 1955
Minister of State for Scotland	Tom Galbraith	7 April 1955
Under-Secretary of State for Scotland	William McNair Snadden	April 19553 June 1955
Under-Secretary of State for Scotland	James Henderson Stewart	April 19559 January 1957
Under-Secretary of State for Scotland	Jack Nixon Browne	7 April 19559 January 1957
Under-Secretary of State for Scotland	Niall Macpherson	13 June 19559 January 1957
Minister of Supply	Reginald Maudling	7 April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Supply	Frederick Erroll	7 April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Supply	Ian Harvey	11 November 1956
President of the Board of Trade	Peter Thorneycroft	April 1955
Minister of State for Trade	Derick Heathcoat-Amory	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade	Donald Kaberry	7 April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade	Derek Walker-Smith	19 October 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade	Frederick Erroll	11 November 1956
Minister of Transport	John Boyd-Carpenter	April 1955
Minister of Transport	Harold Watkinson	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport	John Profumo	April 19559 January 1957
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport	Hugh Molson	April 19559 January 1957
Secretary of State for War	Antony Head	April 1955
Secretary of State for War	John Hare	18 October 1956
Under-Secretary of State and Financial Secretary for War	Fitzroy Maclean	April 1955
Minister of Works	Nigel Birch	April 1955
Minister of Works	Patrick Buchan-Hepburn	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works	Reginald Bevins	April 1955
Attorney General	Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller	April 1955
Solicitor General	Sir Harry Hylton-Foster	April 1955
Lord Advocate	William Rankine Milligan	April 1955
Solicitor General for Scotland	William Grant	April 1955
Treasurer of the Household	Cedric Drewe	April 1955
Treasurer of the Household	Tam Galbraith	13 June 1955
Comptroller of the Household	Tam Galbraith	April 1955
Comptroller of the Household	Hendrie Oakshott	13 June 1955
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household	Henry Studholme	April 1955
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household	Richard Thompson	8 April 1956
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms	Hugh Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue	April 1955
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard	William Onslow, 6th Earl of Onslow	April 1955
Lords in Waiting	Bladen Wilmer Hawke, 9th Baron Hawke	April 19559 January 1957
Lords in Waiting	Thomas Brian McKelvie Fairfax, 13th Lord Fairfax of Cameron	April 19559 January 1957
Lords in Waiting	John Cavendish, 5th Baron Chesham	April 19559 January 1957

;Notes