Eustace Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle

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Eustace Sutherland Campbell Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle, PC (March 21 1887 – April 3 1958) was a British Conservative Party politician.

Percy was Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings from 1921 to 1937. He served as President of the Board of Education from 1924 (when he was appointed as a Privy Councillor) to 1929 and as Minister without Portfolio from 1935 to 1936 whilst known as "Lord Eustace Percy" (he was a younger son of the 7th Duke of Northumberland). Given charge of policy direction for the government in the latter role, he was often dubbed the "Minister for Thought" by the Press. In the 1930s he called for regional government for the North East of England, specifically wishing to be the minister for the region.

Percy was created Baron Percy of Newcastle, of Etchingham in the County of Sussex, in 1953, a title that became extinct upon his death without male issue. He chaired a Royal Commission that reviewed mental health legislation in the 1950s.

He made in 1944 in his Riddell Lecture a call for the law to be changed radically to recognise companies as associations of productive employees, rather than as associations of shareholders. These were his words: "Here is the most important challenge to political invention ever offered to the jurist or the statesman. The human association which in fact produces and distributes wealth, the association of workmen, managers, technicians and directors is not an association recognised by law. The association which the law does recognise - the association of shareholders, creditors and directors - is incapable of producing and distributing and is not expected to perform these functions. We have to give law to the real association and withdraw meaningless privilege from the imaginary one." (Quoted in "Jobs and Fairness" by Robert Oakeshott, published by Michael Russell, 2000.)

He married Stella Drummond, with whom he had two daughters.

[edit] References

• This page incorporates information from Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Laurance Lyon	Member of Parliament for Hastings 1921–1937	Succeeded by Maurice Robert Hely-Hutchinson
Political offices
Preceded by Charles Philips Trevelyan	President of the Board of Education 1924–1929	Succeeded by Charles Philips Trevelyan
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by New Creation	Baron Percy of Newcastle 1953–1958	Succeeded by Extinct