Newspaper owner and public figure. He began in his native Canada by acquiring newspapers, then moved to Britain, where he became the owner of the Daily Express (the largest circulation newspaper), a member of parliament, and a member of the government during World War I and World War II. He loved being rich, but political influence and power meant even more to him, and he especially loved behind the scenes political maneuvering and intrigue. At a crucial moment in World War I, he successfully schemed to bring in the Lloyd George government, and was regarded as a potent kingmaker thereafter. In World War II, he held a variety of positions under his friend Winston Churchill, but is best remembered for throwing his prodigious force of personality into aircraft production. Often selfish, roguish, or impish, but always brilliant and sometimes indispensable, he was a short and physically unprepossessing man from humble origins who reached the pinnacle of wealth, power, and social position, through sheer irrepressibility of energy, verve, and ambition.