William Maxwell Aitken

William Maxwell Aitken, also known as Lord Beaverbrook, was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics of the first half of the 20th century. He was born in Maple, Ontario, Canada, in 1879, and moved to Britain in 1910. He entered the House of Commons as a Conservative member and became a close ally of Andrew Bonar Law, the future prime minister. He was knighted in 1916 and raised to the peerage as Baron Beaverbrook in 1917. He owned several newspapers, including the Daily Express, the Sunday Express, and the Evening Standard, which he used to promote his views and interests. He was a supporter of Winston Churchill and served in his war cabinet as Minister of Aircraft Production, where he played a key role in mobilizing industrial resources for the war effort. He was also involved in various political and social causes, such as the United Empire Party, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, and the Beaverbrook Foundation. He was a controversial and charismatic figure, admired by some and despised by others. He died in 1964 in Surrey, England.