Neville Chamberlain was born in 1869 and was the son of the politician Joseph Chamberlain. In 1915 Neville was elected Lord Mayor of Birmingham and by 1918 he had been elected as Conservative MP for Ladywood. His promotion was rapid, and in 1923 the then Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin appointed him as Postmaster-General (1923-1924) the Minister for Health (1924-1929). During his period as Minister for Health Chamberlain was responsible for the reform of the Poor Law, the promotion of Council house building, and the systematising of Local Government. As Chancellor of the Exchequer in the National Government from 1931-1937 he steered