2-378-099 - Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images

British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald in New York, being escorted by Grover Whalen, 1929. James Ramsay MacDonald (1866-1937) was a British politician and twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He rose from humble origins to become the first Labour Prime Minister in 1924. His second period as Prime Minister, from 1929-1931, was during the crisis of the Great Depression. In 1931 he formed a National Government in which a majority of MPs were from the Conservatives, and as a result he was expelled from the Labour Party. Grover Aloysius Whalen (1886-1962) was a prominent New York businessman, politician and public relations guru.