Ernest Marples
The Lord Marples | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Transport | |
| In office 14 October 1959 – 16 October 1964 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Macmillan Alec Douglas-Home |
| Preceded by | Harold Watkinson |
| Succeeded by | Tom Fraser |
| Postmaster General | |
| In office 17 January 1957 – 14 October 1959 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Macmillan |
| Preceded by | Charles Hill |
| Succeeded by | Reginald Bevins |
| Member of Parliament for Wallasey | |
| In office 26 July 1945 – 8 February 1974 | |
| Preceded by | George Reakes |
| Succeeded by | Lynda Chalker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alfred Ernest Marples 9 December 1907 Levenshulme, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 6 July 1978 (aged 70) |
| Resting place | Southern Cemetery, Manchester |
| Party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Edna Florence Harwood (1937–1945) (dissolved) Ruth Alianore Dobson (1956–1978) (his death) |
Alfred Ernest Marples, Baron Marples, PC (9 December 1907 – 6 July 1978) was a British Conservative politician who served as Postmaster General (1957–1959) and Minister of Transport (1959–1964).
As Postmaster General, he oversaw the introduction of the Premium Bond scheme and of postcodes. His period as Minister of Transport was controversial. He both oversaw significant road construction (he opened the first section of the M1 motorway) and the closure of a considerable portion of the national railway network with the Beeching cuts. His involvement in the road construction business Marples Ridgway, of which he had been managing director, led to concerns regarding conflict of interest. In later life, Marples was elevated to the peerage before fleeing to Monaco at very short notice to avoid prosecution for tax fraud.