In 1897 in the town of
Durham, in north
England Anthony Eden was born. Like many politicians of the time he enjoyed a privileged upbringing, and attended
Eton, and then
Christ Church college, Oxford.
He was first elected into parliament in 1923, as a member of the Conservative Party. His first major appointment was in 1935, when Neville Chamberlain made him Foreign Secretary. He later resigned due to disagreements about Chamberlain's policy regarding the appeasment of Hitler.
He returned at the beginning of the Second World War, and when Churchill came to power he was given the important position of Secretary of State for War. He retained the post of Foreign Secretary, and became Churchill's most trusted advisor. Churchill is said to have told the king that Eden was to be his sucessor if anything happened.
When Churchill became Prime Minister again in 1951, Eden became Foreign Secretary again, and helped to settle several important disputes. He became Prime Minister in 1955, but in 1956 he was involved in the ill-fated Suez Canal crisis, which lead to his resignation in the following year.
In 1961 he became Earl of Avon, until his death in 1977.