Robert Stevenson Horne, 1st Viscount Horne

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Half Measures
Sir Robert Horne, President of the Board of Trade, and Sir Eric Geddes, Minister of Transport (speaking together). "That's a rummy get-up. But perhaps he couldn't afford anything better."

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Cartoon from Punch magazine, 7 July 1920, referring to a bill introduced by Horne (left) concerned with state control of mining, which was similar to an anticipated bill from Geddes (right) concerned with the railways

Robert Stevenson Horne, 1st Viscount Horne of Slamannan (1871-1940) was a businessman and Scottish Tory politician.

Horne was a director of the Suez Canal Company, chairman of the Great Western Railway Company and director of several other companies and banks. He was Examiner in Philosophy and Lord Rector at the University of Aberdeen and a member of the Faculty of Advocates.

Horne was elected as Member of Parliament for Glasgow Hillhead in 1918.

He served as Civil Lord of the Admiralty, Minister of Labour, President of the Board of Trade and Chancellor of the Exchequer under Lloyd George after the First World War.

When the Lloyd George Coalition Government fell in 1922, Horne refused to join the new government of Andrew Bonar Law. Two years later Stanley Baldwin offered to make Horne Minister of Labour once more, but Horne declined, preferring to concentrate on work in the City. Although he remained a Member of Parliament until 1937, he never again held ministerial office.

Horne was famously referred to by Baldwin as a "Scots cad", a remark that has stuck.

Preceded by: John Hodge	Minister of Labour 1919–1920	Followed by: Thomas McNamara
Preceded by: Sir Auckland Geddes	President of the Board of Trade 1920–1921	Followed by: Stanley Baldwin
Preceded by: Austen Chamberlain	Chancellor of the Exchequer 1921–1922	Followed by: Stanley Baldwin