MacDonald, J. Ramsay

MacDonald, J. Ramsay James MacDonald ( 1866 – 1937 )
British Labour statesman, Prime Minister ( 1924 ; 1929 – 31 ; 1931 – 35 ). In 1922 he became leader of the Labour Party, and served as Britain's first Labour Prime Minister in the short-lived Labour government of 1924 ; he was elected Prime Minister again in 1929 , but without an overall majority. Faced with economic crisis, and weakened by splits in his own party, he formed a national government with some Conservatives and Liberals; this led to his being expelled from the Labour Party.