I . Austen Chamberlain
(1863–1937)
a British Conservative politician and son of Joseph Chamberlain . He was the leader of the Conservative Party (1921–2) and Foreign Secretary (1924–9). He was given the Nobel Prize for peace in 1925 for his work on fixing Germany’s borders after World War I .
II . Joseph Chamberlain
(1836–1914)
a British Liberal politician. He first became well known as the mayor (1) of Birmingham , where he was responsible for many improvements to the city’s houses and services. He became a Member of Parliament in 1876, and was soon a Cabinet minister. He left the Cabinet in 1886 because he disagreed with Gladstone’s policy of Home Rule for Ireland.
III . Neville Chamberlain
(1869–1940)
a British Conservative prime minister (1937–40) and son of Joseph Chamberlain . He is mainly remembered for his policy of appeasement . He signed the Munich Agreement in 1938, trying to avoid a war against Germany and Italy and using the famous phrase, ‘Peace in our time’, but said that Britain would defend Poland if Germany attacked it. This led to the start of World War II . He left the government soon after Britain entered the war, when British forces were defeated in Norway.
IV . Wilt Chamberlain
(1936–1999)
a famous US basketball player. His popular name was ‘Wilt the Stilt’ because he was very tall and thin. Stilts are poles used for walking high above the ground. Chamberlain played for the University of Kansas and then was a professional from 1959 to 1973 with teams in Philadelphia , San Francisco and Los Angeles . During his professional career he scored 31 419 points, and he was chosen for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.