Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs

Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
Royal Arms as used by His Majesty's Government
StyleThe Right Honourable
AppointerThe Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural holderLeo Amery
Formation11 June 1925
Final holderThe Viscount Addison
Abolished7 July 1947
DeputyUnder-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs

The position of secretary of state for dominion affairs was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for British relations with the Empire’s dominions – Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, and the Irish Free State – and the self-governing Crown colony of Southern Rhodesia.

When initially created in 1925, the office was held in tandem with that of secretary of state for the colonies; this arrangement persisted until June 1930. On two subsequent occasions the offices were briefly held by the same person.

The secretary of state was supported by an under-secretary of state for dominion affairs. In 1947, the name of the office was changed to the secretary of state for Commonwealth relations.

Secretaries of state for dominion affairs, 1925–1947

  Conservative       Labour       National Labour
Portrait Name
Honorifics & constituency
Term of office Political party Prime Minister Foreign Secretary
The Right Honourable
Leo Amery
MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook
(also Sec.State for the Colonies)
11 June
1925
4 June
1929
Conservative Baldwin Chamberlain
The Right Honourable
The Lord Passfield
(also Sec.State for the Colonies)
7 June
1929
5 June
1930
Labour MacDonald Henderson
The Right Honourable
James Henry Thomas
MP for Derby
(also Sec.State for the Colonies, Aug–Nov 1931)
5 June
1930
22 November
1935
Labour
National Labour Reading

Simon

The Right Honourable
Malcolm MacDonald
MP for Ross and Cromarty
22 November
1935
16 May
1938
National Labour Baldwin Hoare

Eden

Chamberlain
The Right Honourable
Lord Stanley
MP for Fylde
16 May
1938
16 October
1938†
Conservative Halifax
The Right Honourable
Malcolm MacDonald
MP for Ross and Cromarty
(also Sec.State for the Colonies)
31 October
1938
29 January
1939
National Labour
The Right Honourable
Sir Thomas Inskip
MP for Fareham
29 January
1939
3 September
1939
Conservative
The Right Honourable
Anthony Eden
MP for Warwick and Leamington[1]
3 September
1939
14 May
1940
Conservative
The Right Honourable
The Viscount Caldecote[2]
14 May
1940
3 October
1940
Conservative Churchill
The Right Honourable
Viscount Cranborne
MP for South Dorset until 1941
Baron Cecil of Essendon after 1941
3 October
1940
19 February
1942
Conservative Eden
The Right Honourable
Clement Attlee
MP for Limehouse[3]
19 February
1942
24 September
1943
Labour
The Right Honourable
Viscount Cranborne
Baron Cecil of Essendon[2]
24 September
1943
26 July
1945
Conservative
The Right Honourable
The Viscount Addison[2]
3 August
1945
7 July
1947
Labour Attlee Bevin

The Viscount Addison took up the new post of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations on 7 July 1947.

Notes

History of English and British government departments with responsibility for foreign affairs and those with responsibility for the colonies, dominions and the Commonwealth
Northern Department
1660–1782
SecretariesUndersecretaries
Southern Department
1660–1768
SecretariesUndersecretaries
Southern Department
1768–1782
SecretariesUndersecretaries
1782: diplomatic responsibilities transferred to new Foreign Office
Colonial Office
1768–1782
SecretariesUndersecretaries
Foreign Office
1782–1968
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries
Home Office
1782–1794
SecretariesUndersecretaries
War Office
1794–1801
SecretariesUndersecretaries
War and Colonial Office
1801–1854
SecretariesUndersecretaries
Colonial Office
1854–1925
SecretariesUndersecretaries
India Office
1858–1937
SecretariesUndersecretaries
Colonial Office
1925–1966
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries
Dominions Office
1925–1947
SecretariesUndersecretaries
India Office and Burma Office
1937–1947
SecretariesUndersecretaries
Commonwealth Relations Office
1947–1966
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries
Commonwealth Office
1966–1968
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
1968–2020
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Since 2020
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries