Anthony Eden
A polished British statesman whose long-awaited premiership was consumed and ultimately broken by the Suez Canal crisis.
1897–1977 (age 80)·Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1957·Birthday: June 12·The Lost Generation
Biography
Anthony Eden seemed destined for Britain's highest office. With matinee idol looks and a distinguished record as a Foreign Secretary who stood up to fascism in the 1930s, he was the heir apparent to Winston Churchill. His path, however, was one of frustrating apprenticeship, waiting nearly 15 years as Churchill's deputy. When he finally became Prime Minister in 1955, he was expected to be a master of foreign affairs. Instead, his tenure was defined by a single, catastrophic miscalculation. In 1956, after Egypt's President Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, Eden, viewing it as a repeat of 1930s aggression, secretly colluded with France and Israel to invade Egypt. The operation was a military success but a political disaster, revealing Britain's diminished power and drawing fierce condemnation from the United States and the United Nations. Forced into a humiliating withdrawal, Eden's health and authority shattered. He resigned after just 21 months in office, his reputation as a principled diplomat forever shadowed by the Suez debacle, a moment that signaled the end of Britain's imperial pretensions.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Anthony was born in 1897, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anthony Was Born
The biggest hits of 1897
Anthony's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1897Born
President: William McKinley
1902Started school
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Became a teenager
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1913Could drive
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1915Could vote
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Turned 21
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 30
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1937Turned 40
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1947Turned 50
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 60
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 70
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 80
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
Key Achievements
- Served as British Foreign Secretary three separate times, playing a key role in pre-World War II diplomacy and post-war reconstruction.
- Resigned as Foreign Secretary in 1938 in protest of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement towards Mussolini.
- Was the youngest Foreign Secretary in the 20th century when first appointed to the role in 1935 at age 38.
- Led Britain during the early stages of the Cold War, overseeing the development of the nation's independent nuclear deterrent.
Did You Know?
He was a decorated World War I officer, winning the Military Cross for his service on the Western Front.
His distinctive mannerism of wearing a Homburg hat led to that style being popularly known as an 'Anthony Eden' in the UK.
He was fluent in French, German, and Persian, having studied Oriental languages at Oxford.
He married Churchill's niece, Clarissa Spencer-Churchill, in 1952.
“We are not at war with Egypt. We are in an armed conflict.”
