Home > President of the Board of Trade

The idea of a Board of Trade was first translated into action by Oliver Cromwell in 1655 when he appointed his son Richard Cromwell to head a body of Lords of the Privy Council, Judges and merchants to consider measures to promote trade. Charles II established a Council of Trade on November 7, 1660 followed by a Council of Foreign Plantations on December 1 that year. The two were united on September 16, 1672 as the Board of Trade and Plantations.

After the Board was re-established in 1696, there were 15 (and later 16) members of the Board - 7 (later 8) Great officers of state, and 8 unofficial members, who did the majority of the work. The senior unofficial member of the board was the President of the Board, commonly known as the First Lord of Trade. The board was abolished on July 11, 1782, but a Committee of the Privy Council was established on March 5, 1784Events January 6 the Turks agree to Russia's annexation of the Crimea in the Treaty of Constantinople January 14 The U. Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris with England to end the American Revolutionary War February 27 Count of St Germain dies of pneumo for the same purposes. On August 23August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. Events 1328 Battle of Kassel: French troops stop an uprising of Flemish farmers 1566 Calvinists are granted rights in the Netherlands 1614 The, 1786Events May 21 Trial of the Necklace affair ends in Paris August 8 Mont Blanc was climbed for the first time by Dr. Michael-Gabriel Paccard and Jacques Balmat. September 2 Hurricane in England Choctaw Treaty Chickasaw Treaty Robert Burns publishes Poems, C a new Committee was set up, more strongly focused on commercial functions than the previous boards of trade. At first the President of the Board of Trade only occasionally sat in the cabinet, but from the early 19th century it was usually a cabinet level position.

During the government of Sir Alec Douglas-HomeAlexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel KT 1 ( July 2, 1903 October 9, 1995), known from 1951 to 1963 as the 14th Earl of Home was a British politician, and served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a year from October 1963 to, the then President of the Board of Trade Edward HeathThe Right Honourable Sir Edward Richard George Heath KG, MBE (born July 9, 1916) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. His spell in office represented a transition between the tr was given in addition the job of Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development. This title was not continued under Harold WilsonJames Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx KG, OBE, PC ( March 11, 1916 May 24, 1995) was one of the more successful Labour Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and a 1960s icon. Wilson is regarded by many as probably one of the more intellectual poli, but when Heath became Prime Minister in 1970Events January events January 1 Construction begins on Arcosanti, by Paolo Soleri, in Mayer, Arizona, located 65, miles north of Phoenix, Arizona. January 1 Unix epoch at 00:00:00 UTC. January 12 Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian civil war. January he decided to merge the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Technology to create the Department of Trade and IndustryThe Department of Trade and Industry is a United Kingdom government department. The department was first formed in 1970 with the merger of the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Technology, creating a new cabinet post of Secretary of State for Trade and I. The head of this department became known as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade.

Following a Labour Party victory in the general election of October 1974 the office was split into the Department of Trade , the Department of Industry and the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection. The title President of the Board of Trade became the secondary title of the Secretary of State for Trade. In 1983 the offices of trade and industry were remerged and the title of Secretary of State for Trade and Industry was recreated. When Michael Heseltine held this office, he preferred to be known by the older title of President of the Board of Trade, and this practice was also followed by Ian Lang and Margaret Beckett. Heseltine's decision to reuse the old title caused some comment and it was discovered that the Board of Trade had not in fact met since the mid-nineteenth century.