Herbert Bowden, Baron Aylestone

"Herbert Bowden" redirects here. For Australian rules footballer, see Herbert Bowden (footballer).

The Right Honourable The Lord Aylestone CH CBE PC
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
In office 1 August 1966 – 29 August 1967
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Office Created
Succeeded by	George Thomson
Lord President of the Council
In office 16 October 1964 – 11 August 1966
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Quintin Hogg
Succeeded by	Richard Crossman
Leader of the House of Commons
In office 16 October 1964 – 11 August 1966
Prime Minister	Harold Wilson
Preceded by	Selwyn Lloyd
Succeeded by	Richard Crossman
Member of Parliament for Leicester South West Leicester South (1945–1950)
In office 5 July 1945 – 2 November 1967
Preceded by	Charles Waterhouse
Succeeded by	Tom Boardman
Personal details
Born	20 January 1905 Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Died
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour Social Democratic Party

Herbert William Bowden, Baron Aylestone, CH, CBE, PC (20 January 1905 – 30 April 1994) was a British Labour politician.

Born in Cardiff, Wales, Bowden was a councillor on Leicester City Council 1938–45 and president of Leicester Labour Party in 1938. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He was elected at the 1945 general election for South Leicester, taking South-West Leicester at the 1950 election. He was appointed a whip in 1949 and a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in 1950. From 1951, he was Deputy Chief Whip, then Chief Whip through Labour's years in opposition. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1953 Coronation Honours.

When Labour returned to power in 1964, Bowden was appointed Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, having become a Privy Counsellor in 1962. In 1966 he was moved to the new post of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs, serving until 1967. On 20 September 1967, he was created a life peer as Baron Aylestone, of Aylestone in the City of Leicester and became chairman of the Independent Television Authority. He was appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in the 1975 Birthday Honours. He joined the Social Democratic Party in the 1980s.

Lord Aylestone died in Worthing aged 89.

References

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Charles Waterhouse	Member of Parliament for Leicester South 1945–1950	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Leicester South West 1950–1967	Succeeded by Tom Boardman
Political offices
Preceded by Quintin Hogg	Lord President of the Council 1964–1966	Succeeded by Richard Crossman
Preceded by Selwyn Lloyd	Leader of the House of Commons 1964–1966
Preceded by Frederick Lee as Secretary of State for the Colonies	Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs 1966–1967	Succeeded by George Morgan Thomson
Preceded by Arthur Bottomley as Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
Media offices
Preceded by Charles Hill	Chairman of the Independent Television Authority 1967–1972	ITA became the IBA