Eric Geddes | |
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First Lord of the Admiralty | |
In office 17 July 1917 – 10 January 1919 | |
Monarch | George V |
Prime Minister | David Lloyd George |
Preceded by | Sir Edward Carson |
Succeeded by | Walter Long |
Minister of Transport | |
In office 19 May 1919 – 7 November 1921 | |
Monarch | George V |
Prime Minister | David Lloyd George |
Preceded by | New office |
Succeeded by | The Viscount Peel |
Personal details | |
Born | British India | 26 September 1875
Died | 22 June 1937 | (aged 61)
Nationality | British |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse | Gwendolen Stokes |
Sir Eric Campbell Geddes GCB GBE PC (26 September 1875 – 22 June 1937) was a British businessman and Conservative politician. With a background in railways, he served as head of Military Transportation on the Western Front, with the rank of major-general. He then served as First Lord of the Admiralty (with the rank of vice-admiral, despite its being a political position) between 1917 and 1919. He then served as the first Minister of Transport between 1919 and 1921, in which position he was responsible for the deep public spending cuts known as the "Geddes Axe".[1]