Born March 9, 1881
Winsford, Cheshire, England
Died April 14, 1951
London, England

British foreign minister

Immediately following the end of World War II (1939–45) in Europe, a general election was held in Great Britain for prime minister, Britain's top leadership position. Clement R. Attlee (1883–1967; see entry), leader of the Labour Party, defeated wartime hero Winston Churchill (1874–1965; see entry) for the office. After his election, Attlee asked Ernest Bevin to be his foreign secretary. According to Mark Stephens's 1985 book Ernest Bevin: Unskilled Labourer and World Statesman, 1881–1951, Attlee wanted "a heavy tank," not "a sniper."

Such was the hard-nosed, up-front character of Ernest Bevin. As British foreign minister from 1945 to 1951, Bevin had a major role in developing British foreign policy during the Cold War's...