Harold Wilson

The Right Honourable The Lord Wilson of Rievaulx KG OBE PC FRS FSS
Wilson in 1975
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 4 March 1974 – 5 April 1976
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Edward Heath
Succeeded by	James Callaghan
In office 16 October 1964 – 19 June 1970
Monarch	Elizabeth II
First Secretary	George Brown Michael Stewart Barbara Castle
Preceded by	Alec Douglas-Home
Succeeded by	Edward Heath
Leader of the Labour Party
In office 14 February 1963 – 5 April 1976
Deputy	George Brown Roy Jenkins Edward Short
Preceded by	Hugh Gaitskell
Succeeded by	James Callaghan
Leader of the Opposition
In office 19 June 1970 – 4 March 1974
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Edward Heath
Preceded by	Edward Heath
Succeeded by	Edward Heath
In office 14 February 1963 – 16 October 1964
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Harold Macmillan Alec Douglas-Home
Preceded by	George Brown
Succeeded by	Alec Douglas-Home
Ministerial offices President of the Board of Trade In office 29 September 1947 – 23 April 1951 Prime Minister Clement Attlee Preceded by Stafford Cripps Succeeded by Hartley Shawcross Secretary for Overseas Trade In office 10 July 1947 – 29 September 1947 Prime Minister Clement Attlee Preceded by Hilary Marquand Succeeded by Arthur Bottomley Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works In office 26 July 1945 – 10 July 1947 Prime Minister Clement Attlee Minister George Tomlinson Charles Key Preceded by Reginald Manningham-Buller Succeeded by Evan Durbin
Shadow cabinet offices Shadow Foreign Secretary In office 2 November 1961 – 14 February 1963 Leader Hugh Gaitskell George Brown Preceded by Denis Healey Succeeded by Patrick Gordon Walker Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer In office 14 December 1955 – 2 November 1961 Leader Hugh Gaitskell Preceded by Hugh Gaitskell Succeeded by James Callaghan
Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal Life peerage 16 September 1983 – 24 May 1995 Member of Parliament for Huyton In office 23 February 1950 – 13 May 1983 Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by Constituency abolished Member of Parliament for Ormskirk In office 5 July 1945 – 3 February 1950 Preceded by Stephen King-Hall Succeeded by Ronald Cross
Personal details
Born	James Harold Wilson (1916-03-11)11 March 1916 Cowlersley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died	23 May 1995(1995-05-23) (aged 79)[a] London, England
Resting place	St Mary's Old Church, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, England
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Mary Wilson née Baldwin ​ ​ (m. 1940)​
Children	2, including Robin
Alma mater	Jesus College, Oxford
Occupation	Politician author lecturer
Profession	Civil servant

This article is part of a series about Harold Wilson
Labour Party MP for Huyton Pre-Prime Minister 1960 leadership election 1963 leadership election 1964 general election Prime Minister of the United Kingdom First term Cabinet Circular 10/65 Capital gains tax Abolition of death penalty Decimalisation announcement 1966 general election Second term Cabinet Decriminalisation of homosexuality Abortion Act 1967 Race Relations Act 1968 Open University Divorce Reform Act 1969 Operation Banner 1970 general election Third and fourth terms February 1974 general election Cabinet 1973–1975 recession October 1974 general election 1976 sterling crisis
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James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995^[a]) was a British statesman and Labour politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 1974 to 1976. He was Leader of the Labour Party from 1963 to 1976, Leader of the Opposition twice from 1963 to 1964 and again from 1970 to 1974, and a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1983. Wilson is the only Labour leader to have formed administrations following four general elections.

Born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, to a politically active middle-class family, Wilson studied a combined degree of philosophy, politics, and economics at Jesus College, Oxford. He was later an Economic History lecturer at New College, Oxford, and a research fellow at University College, Oxford. Elected to Parliament in 1945, Wilson was appointed to the Attlee government as a Parliamentary Secretary; he became Secretary for Overseas Trade in 1947, and was elevated to the Cabinet shortly thereafter as President of the Board of Trade. Following Labour's defeat at the 1955 election, Wilson joined the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chancellor, and was moved to the role of Shadow Foreign Secretary in 1961. When Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell died suddenly in January 1963, Wilson won the subsequent leadership election to replace him, becoming Leader of the Opposition.

Wilson led Labour to a narrow victory at the 1964 election. His first period as prime minister saw a period of low unemployment and economic prosperity; this was however hindered by significant problems with Britain's external balance of payments. His government oversaw significant societal changes, abolishing both capital punishment and theatre censorship, partially decriminalising male homosexuality in England and Wales, relaxing the divorce laws, limiting immigration, outlawing racial discrimination, and liberalising birth control and abortion law. In the midst of this programme, Wilson called a snap election in 1966, which Labour won with a much increased majority. His government armed Nigeria during the Biafran War. In 1969, he sent British troops to Northern Ireland. After losing the 1970 election to Edward Heath's Conservatives, Wilson chose to remain in the Labour leadership, and resumed the role of Leader of the Opposition for four years before leading Labour through the February 1974 election, which resulted in a hung parliament. Wilson was appointed prime minister for a second time; he called a snap election in October 1974, which gave Labour a small majority. During his second term as prime minister, Wilson oversaw the referendum that confirmed the UK's membership of the European Communities.

In March 1976, Wilson suddenly announced his resignation as prime minister. He remained in the House of Commons until retiring in 1983 when he was elevated to the House of Lords as Lord Wilson of Rievaulx. While seen by admirers as leading the Labour Party through difficult political issues with considerable skill, Wilson's reputation was low when he left office and is still disputed in historiography. Some scholars praise his unprecedented electoral success for a Labour prime minister and holistic approach to governance,^[3] while others criticise his political style and handling of economic issues.^[4] Several key issues which he faced while prime minister included the role of public ownership, whether Britain should seek the membership of the European Communities, and British involvement in the Vietnam War.^[5] His stated ambitions of substantially improving Britain's long-term economic performance, applying technology more democratically, and reducing inequality were to some extent unfulfilled.^[6]

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