Londonderry, Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart (1878–1949)

British statesman. He was secretary of state for air 1931–35. Churchill considered that the great achievement of Londonderry's period of office was the designing and promotion of the Hurricane and Spitfire fighters, which proved vital in the Battle of Britain.

He was educated at Eton and Sandhurst. From 1906 to 1915, when he succeeded to the title, he was Conservative MP for Maidstone. In the coalition government he was under-secretary for air and vice-president of the Air Council 1920–21. He gave up the post to join the government of Northern Ireland, as minister of education and leader of the Senate. After the settlement of the boundary question he returned to England and in 1931 became secretary of state for air with a seat in the Cabinet. When Baldwin became prime minister in 1935 he removed Londonderry from the Air Ministry and made him lord privy seal. After the general election in November 1935 he dropped Londonderry altogether.