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Bevan, Aneurin (1897-1960)

British political leader, born in Tredegar, Wales. After working in the coal mines, he attended the Central Labour Cnnlege in London. He was elected to the House of Commons from Ebbw Vale in 1929. In 1944 he was elected to the executive committee of the Labour party. As minister of health (1945-1951) in the Labour government of Prime Minister Clement Attlee, Bevan was instrumental in establishing the National Health Service. In 1951 he became minister of labour and national service but resigned a few months after his appointment because of disagreement with government domestic policy. Bevan was best known as an outspoken leader of the left wing of the Labour Party: "We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run down", he said. Bevan's writings include In Place of Fear (1952), an account of his political beliefs.