David Lloyd George

David Lloyd George was a British politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was the first and only Welshman to hold the office of Prime Minister. He was born on January 17, 1863 in Manchester, England, to Welsh parents. His father was a schoolmaster who died when Lloyd George was one year old. His mother moved the family to her native village of Llanystumdwy in Wales, where Lloyd George was raised by his uncle, a shoemaker and a Baptist preacher. He became fluent in both English and Welsh languages. He qualified as a solicitor in 1884 and became active in Liberal politics. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Caernarvon Boroughs in 1890, a seat he held until 1945. He rose to prominence as a radical leader of the Liberal Party, advocating for social reforms, Welsh nationalism, and opposition to the Boer War. He served as President of the Board of Trade (1905–1908), Chancellor of the Exchequer (1908–1915), Minister of Munitions (1915–1916), and Secretary of State for War (1916). He became Prime Minister in December 1916, succeeding Herbert Henry Asquith, who had lost the confidence of the coalition government during the First World War. Lloyd George led Britain to victory in the war, earning him the nickname "the man who won the war". He was also instrumental in shaping the post-war settlement at the Paris Peace Conference, where he advocated for a lenient treatment of Germany and supported the creation of the League of Nations and the Irish Free State. He remained Prime Minister until 1922, when he resigned after losing the support of the Conservative Party over the Chanak Crisis and his handling of domestic issues such as unemployment, strikes, and coal mining. He continued to be an influential figure in British politics, leading a breakaway faction of Liberals known as the National Liberals (1922–1923) and later becoming Leader of the Liberal Party (1926–1931). He opposed appeasement and advocated for collective security against Nazi Germany. He died of cancer on March 26, 1945 at his home in Llanystumdwy. He was buried beside the River Dwyfor in his native village, according to his wishes. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest British statesmen of the 20th century and one of the most influential figures in modern Welsh history.