Name
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Portrait
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Entered office
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Left office
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Political party
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Other ministerial offices held
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Notes and key events
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Henry Addington
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17 March
1801
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10 May
1804
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Tory
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First Lord of the Treasury,
Chancellor of the Exchequer &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
Negotiated the
Treaty of Amiens with France in 1802.
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William Pitt the Younger (2nd term)
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10 May
1804
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23 January
1806
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Tory
|
First Lord of the Treasury,
Chancellor of the Exchequer &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
Alliance with
Russia,
Austria and
Sweden against France (
Third Coalition);
Battle of Trafalgar;
Battle of Ulm;
Battle of Austerlitz.
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The Lord Grenville
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11 February
1806
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31 March
1807
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Whig
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Abolition of the
slave trade.
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The Duke of Portland (2nd term)
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|
31 March
1807
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4 October
1809
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Tory
|
First Lord of the Treasury
|
Headed a Tory government; was old and ill, leaving the
Cabinet to their own devices (largely headed by
Spencer Perceval).
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Spencer Perceval
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|
4 October
1809
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11 May
1812
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Tory
|
First Lord of the Treasury,
Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
Industrial revolution; descent of
George III into madness; his administration was notable for the lack of senior statesmen (Perceval also served as the
Chancellor of the Exchequer);
Peninsular War, part of the
Napoleonic Wars;
as of 2007, the only Prime Minister to have been
assassinated.
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The Earl of Liverpool
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|
8 June
1812
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9 April
1827
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Tory
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Oversaw the United Kingdom's victory in the
Napoleonic Wars; the
Congress of Vienna; an
economic recession in 1817;
The War of 1812 (in Britain, the American War of 1812 to 1815);
Peterloo Massacre in 1819; return to the
gold standard in 1819; the
Cato Street Conspiracy to assassinate Liverpool in 1820.
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George Canning
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10 April
1827
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8 August
1827
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Tory
|
First Lord of the Treasury,
Chancellor of the Exchequer &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
Died shortly after taking office.
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The Viscount Goderich
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|
31 August
1827
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21 January
1828
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Tory
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Lacked support amongst colleagues; resigned.
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|
The Duke of Wellington (1st term)
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|
22 January
1828
|
16 November
1830
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Tory
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Catholic Emancipation Bill (over which he fought a
duel).
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The Earl Grey
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|
22 November
1830
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9 July
1834
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Whig
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Reform Act 1832; restriction of employment of children;
abolition of slavery throughout the
British Empire.
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The Viscount Melbourne (1st term)
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|
16 July
1834
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14 November
1834
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Whig
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
William IV's opposition forced him to resign.
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The Duke of Wellington (2nd term)
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|
14 November
1834
|
10 December
1834
|
Tory
|
First Lord of the Treasury,
Secretary of State for the Home Department,
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Caretaker government while
Sir Robert Peel was located and returned to London. Held many of the major posts himself.
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Sir Robert Peel (1st term)
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|
10 December
1834
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8 April
1835
|
Conservative
|
First Lord of the Treasury,
Chancellor of the Exchequer &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
Unable to form a majority in Parliament so resigned.
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The Viscount Melbourne (2nd term)
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|
18 April
1835
|
30 August
1841
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Whig
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
A
father figure to
Queen Victoria;
Municipal Corporations Act 1835.
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Sir Robert Peel (2nd term)
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|
30 August
1841
|
29 June
1846
|
Conservative
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
Mines Act 1842;
Factory Act 1844;
Railway Act 1844; repeal of the
Corn Laws (triggered by the
Irish potato famine);
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The Lord John Russell (1st term) (afterwards PM as Earl Russell)
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|
30 June
1846
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21 February
1852
|
Whig
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
Education Act 1847;
Australian Colonies Act 1850; improved the
Poor Law; .
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The Earl of Derby (1st term)
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|
23 February
1852
|
17 December
1852
|
Conservative
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Government collapsed when his Chancellor's Budget was defeated.
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The Earl of Aberdeen
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|
19 December
1852
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30 January
1855
|
Peelite
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Entered the country into the
Crimean War; resigned due to the formation of an enquiry into the conduct of the war. First and last Peelite Prime Minister.
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The Viscount Palmerston (1st term)
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|
6 February
1855
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19 February
1858
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Whig
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
Responded to the
Indian mutiny of 1857; introduced the
India Bill 1858.
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The Earl of Derby (2nd term)
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|
20 February
1858
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11 June
1859
|
Conservative
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
India Bill 1858, transferring ownership of the
East India Company to the Crown;
Jews Relief Act, allowing
Jews to become MPs.
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The Viscount Palmerston (2nd term)
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12 June
1859
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18 October
1865
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Liberal
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
Between periods in office he founded the
Liberal Party; died in office.
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The Earl Russell (2nd term) (previously PM as Lord John Russell)
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29 October
1865
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26 June
1866
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Liberal
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Attempted to introduce a further Reform Bill, but was opposed by his Cabinet.
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The Earl of Derby (3rd term)
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|
28 June
1866
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25 February
1868
|
Conservative
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Reform Act 1867; considered by some to be the father of the modern Conservative Party.
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Benjamin Disraeli (1st term)
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27 February
1868
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1 December
1868
|
Conservative
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
The UK's first and,
as of 2007, only, Prime Minister from
Jewish ancestry; dissolved Parliament as the Conservatives did not have a majority.
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William Ewart Gladstone (1st term)
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|
3 December
1868
|
17 February
1874
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Liberal
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Commons
3 December
1868 -
17 February
1874;
Chancellor of the Exchequer
11 August
1873 -
17 February
1874
|
Introduced reforms to the
British Army, Civil Service and local government; made peacetime
flogging illegal;
Ballot Act 1872; failed to prevent the
Franco-Prussian War.
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Benjamin Disraeli (2nd term) (from 1876 as Earl of Beaconsfield)
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20 February
1874
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21 April
1880
|
Conservative
|
First Lord of the Treasury
20 February
1874 -
21 April
1880;
Leader of the House of Commons
20 February
1874 -
21 August
1876;
Leader of the House of Lords
21 August
1876 -
21 April
1880;
Lord Privy Seal
21 August
1876 -
2 April
1878
|
Various reforms including the
Climbing Boys Act 1875, the
Public Health Act 1875 and the
Employers and Workmen Act 1878;
Congress of Berlin; breaking up of the
League of the Three Emperors, the
Zulu War.
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William Ewart Gladstone (2nd term)
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|
23 April
1880
|
9 June
1885
|
Liberal
|
First Lord of the Treasury &
Leader of the House of Commons
23 April
1880 -
9 June
1885;
Chancellor of the Exchequer
23 April
1880 -
16 December
1882
|
First Boer War;
Irish Coercion Act;
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885;
Reform Act, 1884; failure to rescue General
Gordon in
Khartoum,
Sudan.
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|
The Marquess of Salisbury (1st term)
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|
23 June
1885
|
28 January
1886
|
Conservative
|
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Legislation providing for housing the
working class.
|
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William Ewart Gladstone (3rd term)
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|
1 February
1886
|
20 July
1886
|
Liberal
|
First Lord of the Treasury,
Lord Privy Seal &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
First introduction of the
Home Rule Bill for
Ireland, which split the Liberal Party, resulting in the end of Gladstone's government.
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The Marquess of Salisbury (2nd term)
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|
25 July
1886
|
11 August
1892
|
Conservative
|
Leader of the House of Lords
25 July
1886 -
11 August
1892;
First Lord of the Treasury
25 July
1886 -
January 14
1887;
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
January 14
1887 -
11 August
1892
|
Opposed
Irish
home rule;
Local Government Act 1888;
Partition of Africa;
Free Education Act 1891; creation of
Rhodesia (now
Zimbabwe).
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William Ewart Gladstone (4th term)
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|
15 August
1892
|
2 March
1894
|
Liberal
|
First Lord of the Treasury,
Lord Privy Seal &
Leader of the House of Commons
|
Reintroduction of the Home Rule Bill, which was passed by the
House of Commons but rejected by the
House of Lords leading to his resignation.
|
|
The Earl of Rosebery
|
|
5 March
1894
|
22 June
1895
|
Liberal
|
First Lord of the Treasury,
Lord President of the Council &
Leader of the House of Lords
|
Imperialist; plans for expanding the
Royal Navy caused disagreement within the Liberal Party; resigned following a vote of censure over military supplies.
|
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The Marquess of Salisbury (3rd term)
|
|
25 June
1895
|
11 July
1902
|
Conservative
|
Leader of the House of Lords
25 June
1895 -
11 July
1902;
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
25 June
1895 -
November 12
1900;
Lord Privy Seal
November 12
1900 -
11 July
1902
|
Workmen's Compensation Act 1897;
Second Boer War;
Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
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