William Beveridge

William Beveridge entered into the wedlock with Jessy Janet, daughter of William Phillip.

He breathed his last on March 16, 1963 at the age of 84. He was buried in Thockrington churchyard on the Northumbrian moors. Upon his death, his baronecy became extinct.

William Henry Beveridge was born on March 5, 1879 in Rangpur, then a part of India to Henry Beveridge and Annette Akroyd. His father was employed as an officer in Indian Civil Service.

Young Beveridge attained his preliminary education at Charterhouse, in Godalming, Surrey. For higher education, he enrolled at Balliol College at the University of Oxford, studying mathematics and classics. Graduating in first class, he went on to study law.

Completing studies, Beveridge commenced his career as a lawyer. He soon became interested in social service and started penning articles on the same for the Morning Post newspaper.

His lifelong interest in the causes of unemployment first began in 1903, after his appointment as a sub-warden at Toynbee Hall, a settlement house in London. During this time, he closely associated with Sidney Webb and Beatrice Webb, working on their theory of social reform

Beveridge actively took part in the social reform movement which targeted at changing the social scenario, by promoting free school meals, old age pension and so on. He also campaigned for a central labour exchange system that would put an end to unemployment and with that poverty.

In 1908, he was introduced to Winston Churchill by Beatrice Webb during a dinner party hosted by the latter. Impressed by Beveridge’s reformist ways, Churchill invited him to join the Board of Trade. As an advisor, Beveridge successfully implemented a national system of labour exchange and national insurance, thus fighting unemployment and poverty.

During the First World War, Beveridge was in charge of mobilising and controlling manpower. Post war, he was knighted and was made permanent secretary of Ministry of Food.

William Beveridge’s most notable contribution came with his 1942 report, Social Insurance and Allied Services. Through this work, he aimed at re-establishing Britain’s welfare state post World War II by providing social security to citizens from ‘cradle to grave’. He encouraged establishment of National Health Insurance which would provide free medical treatment.

In his lifetime, Beveridge penned numerous works including, ‘Unemployment: A Problem of Industry’, ‘Planning Under Socialism’, ‘Full Employment in a Free Society’, ‘Pillars of Security’, ‘Power and Influence’ and ‘A Defence of Free Learning’.