List of United Kingdom Whig and allied party leaders 1801-1859
Encyclopedia
During the 19th century, the Whigs
, Radicals and Peelites gradually evolved into the Liberal Party
. The Liberal Party was formally eatablished in 1859 and continued to exist until it merged with the Social Democratic Party
in 1988 to create the Liberal Democrats. This article provides a List of United Kingdom Whig and allied Party Leaders 1801-1859.
came into existence, on 1 January 1801, the era of disciplined mass parties had not yet begun. Although individuals and families regarded themselves as belonging to a Whig or Tory tradition, actual political allegiance tended to be to family connections and to factions grouped behind a prominent political leader. Most of these loose associations of politicians, after the disappearance of almost any party bonds by about 1760, contained members from both Whig and Tory traditions.
In the first decade of the 19th century most politicians realigned themselves into fairly cohesive Whig and Tory parties. Thereafter individuals and groups might move between the two parties, but they both maintained a continuous existence (through a number of mergers and name changes). These two groups were the direct ancestors of the 21st century Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties.
There were several stages in the consolidation of the parties.
Until 1801: Prime Minister William Pitt the younger
had the support of most of the House of Commons., The Pittite coalition of Tories and pro-government Whigs had supported the minister through the Revolutionary Wars with France.
The principal opposition to Pitt was the relatively weak faction of Whigs, led by Charles James Fox
. For four years after 1797 opposition attendance at Westminster had been sporadic as Fox pursued a strategy of secession from Parliament. Only a small group, led by George Tierney
, had attended frequently to oppose the ministers. As Foord observes "only once did the minority reach seventy-five, and it was often less than ten".
1801-1804: The King shattered the Pittite coalition when he forced Pitt to resign over Catholic emancipation
. The former followers of Pitt divided into three groups - the supporters of the new Prime Minister Henry Addington, a Pittite faction which supported Addington but would not join his government and the Grenvillite Whigs who joined the Foxite
s in opposition.
1804-1806: Pitt returned to power and it was the turn of Addington's faction to be semi-detached from the ministry. Fox and Grenville continued in outright opposition. Pitt died in 1806, but his supporters could not form a new administration.
1806-1807: Lord Grenville
formed the Ministry of all the Talents
, combining the Grenvillite, Foxite and Addingtonian factions. The Pittites were in opposition. However Fox died during 1806 and that weakened the government. The hostility of the King made this a short lived ministry. It did however reinforce the tendency of the two Whig factions to work together.
1807-: In government after 1807 the ex-Pittite and (from 1812) the Addingtonian factions increasingly began to call themselves the Tory Party. In opposition, the leading Whig in the House of Commons was Fox's political heir Viscount Howick
. However when he became the 2nd Earl Grey in 1807, he and Grenville agreed to propose a leader to the Whigs in the Commons. This person was the first MP to be recognised as leader of the opposition, rather than leader of an opposition. From this time almost all of the politicians who called themselves Whigs, were supporters of an organised Whig Party. The few remaining veterans on the government side who still called themselves Whigs (notably the Prime Minister, the Duke of Portland) gradually left the political scene, so something resembling a two party system developed.
When a new leader was required, with the party in government, the monarch selected him by appointing someone as Prime Minister.
When no overall party leader was a member of a House and a new leader was required in opposition, a leader emerged and was approved by party members in that House. Before 1807 faction leaders were not necessarily followed by all opposition Whigs. However by 1807 the party in the House of Commons, as opposed to a faction or factions within it, had acquired recognised leaders.
Notes
Notes
Notes
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
, Radicals and Peelites gradually evolved into the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
. The Liberal Party was formally eatablished in 1859 and continued to exist until it merged with the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
in 1988 to create the Liberal Democrats. This article provides a List of United Kingdom Whig and allied Party Leaders 1801-1859.
The end of the age of factions
When the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
came into existence, on 1 January 1801, the era of disciplined mass parties had not yet begun. Although individuals and families regarded themselves as belonging to a Whig or Tory tradition, actual political allegiance tended to be to family connections and to factions grouped behind a prominent political leader. Most of these loose associations of politicians, after the disappearance of almost any party bonds by about 1760, contained members from both Whig and Tory traditions.
In the first decade of the 19th century most politicians realigned themselves into fairly cohesive Whig and Tory parties. Thereafter individuals and groups might move between the two parties, but they both maintained a continuous existence (through a number of mergers and name changes). These two groups were the direct ancestors of the 21st century Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties.
There were several stages in the consolidation of the parties.
Until 1801: Prime Minister William Pitt the younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
had the support of most of the House of Commons., The Pittite coalition of Tories and pro-government Whigs had supported the minister through the Revolutionary Wars with France.
The principal opposition to Pitt was the relatively weak faction of Whigs, led by Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
. For four years after 1797 opposition attendance at Westminster had been sporadic as Fox pursued a strategy of secession from Parliament. Only a small group, led by George Tierney
George Tierney
George Tierney PC was an English Whig politician.-Background and education:Born in Gibraltar, Tierney was the son of Thomas Tierney, a wealthy Irish merchant of London, who was living in Gibraltar as prize agent. He was sent to Eton and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he took the degree of Law in 1784...
, had attended frequently to oppose the ministers. As Foord observes "only once did the minority reach seventy-five, and it was often less than ten".
1801-1804: The King shattered the Pittite coalition when he forced Pitt to resign over Catholic emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
. The former followers of Pitt divided into three groups - the supporters of the new Prime Minister Henry Addington, a Pittite faction which supported Addington but would not join his government and the Grenvillite Whigs who joined the Foxite
Foxite
The term Foxite generally refers to an 18th or 19th century British Whig politician who adhered to the ideals and political beliefs of Charles James Fox, the 18th century member of parliament and leader of the Whig party....
s in opposition.
1804-1806: Pitt returned to power and it was the turn of Addington's faction to be semi-detached from the ministry. Fox and Grenville continued in outright opposition. Pitt died in 1806, but his supporters could not form a new administration.
1806-1807: Lord Grenville
William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville
William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville PC, PC was a British Whig statesman. He served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1806 to 1807 as head of the Ministry of All the Talents.-Background :...
formed the Ministry of all the Talents
Ministry of All the Talents
The Ministry of All the Talents was a national unity government formed by William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville on his appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 11 February 1806 after the death of William Pitt the Younger...
, combining the Grenvillite, Foxite and Addingtonian factions. The Pittites were in opposition. However Fox died during 1806 and that weakened the government. The hostility of the King made this a short lived ministry. It did however reinforce the tendency of the two Whig factions to work together.
1807-: In government after 1807 the ex-Pittite and (from 1812) the Addingtonian factions increasingly began to call themselves the Tory Party. In opposition, the leading Whig in the House of Commons was Fox's political heir Viscount Howick
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC , known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 22 November 1830 to 16 July 1834. A member of the Whig Party, he backed significant reform of the British government and was among the...
. However when he became the 2nd Earl Grey in 1807, he and Grenville agreed to propose a leader to the Whigs in the Commons. This person was the first MP to be recognised as leader of the opposition, rather than leader of an opposition. From this time almost all of the politicians who called themselves Whigs, were supporters of an organised Whig Party. The few remaining veterans on the government side who still called themselves Whigs (notably the Prime Minister, the Duke of Portland) gradually left the political scene, so something resembling a two party system developed.
Leadership selection 1801-1859
There was only a leader of the Whig Party as a whole, when a party member (or the leader of an allied group like the Peelites) was Prime Minister or (from 1830) was the most recent Prime Minister from the party and was still in active politics. At other times the leaders in the House of Lords and House of Commons were of equal status and in theory jointly led the party.When a new leader was required, with the party in government, the monarch selected him by appointing someone as Prime Minister.
When no overall party leader was a member of a House and a new leader was required in opposition, a leader emerged and was approved by party members in that House. Before 1807 faction leaders were not necessarily followed by all opposition Whigs. However by 1807 the party in the House of Commons, as opposed to a faction or factions within it, had acquired recognised leaders.
Leaders of the Whig Party
| Name | Constituency/Title | Took Office | Left Office | |
| no recognised leader | 1801 | 1806 | ||
| 1 | William Wyndham Grenville William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville PC, PC was a British Whig statesman. He served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1806 to 1807 as head of the Ministry of All the Talents.-Background :... |
1st Baron Grenville | 11 February 1806 | 31 March 1807 |
| no recognised leader | 1807 | 1830 | ||
| 2 | Charles Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC , known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 22 November 1830 to 16 July 1834. A member of the Whig Party, he backed significant reform of the British government and was among the... |
2nd Earl Grey | 22 November 1830 | 16 July 1834 |
| 3 | William Lamb William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC, FRS was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretary and Prime Minister . He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of Queen Victoria, at ages 18-21, in the ways of politics... |
2nd Viscount Melbourne | 16 July 1834 | October 1842 |
| no recognised leader | 1842 | 1846 | ||
| 4 | Lord John Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC , known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an English Whig and Liberal politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century.... |
City of London City of London (UK Parliament constituency) The City of London was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950.-Boundaries and boundary... |
30 June 1846 | 19 December 1852 |
| 5 | George Hamilton-Gordon George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen KG, KT, FRS, PC , styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a Scottish politician, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 until 1855.-Early life:Born in Edinburgh on 28 January 1784, he... 1 |
4th Earl of Aberdeen | 19 December 1852 | 6 February 1855 |
| 6 | Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston 2 | Tiverton Tiverton (UK Parliament constituency) Tiverton was a constituency located in east Devon, formerly represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Enfranchised as a parliamentary borough in 1615 and first represented in 1621, it elected two Members of Parliament by the first past the post system of election... |
6 February 1855 | 12 June 1859 |
Notes
- 1 Aberdeen was a Peelite (or more formally a Liberal Conservative) ally of the Whigs.
- 2 An Irish peer.
Leaders of the Whig Party in the House of Commons
Fox and Howick, as unofficial leaders of the party in the House of Commons from 1801 until 1807, led the largest of the anti-Pittite Whig groups. They were the successive government leaders of the House of Commons during the Ministry of all the Talents. Howick continued as a faction leader in opposition during 1807, until he inherited his peerage. From the appointment of George Ponsonby in 1808 the leaders were official.| Name | Constituency | Took Office | Left Office | |
| 1 | Charles James Fox Charles James Fox Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger... 1 |
Westminster Westminster (UK Parliament constituency) Westminster was a parliamentary constituency in the Parliament of England to 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain 1707-1800 and the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801. It returned two members to 1885 and one thereafter.... |
1801 | 1806 |
| 2 | Charles Grey, Viscount Howick Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC , known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 22 November 1830 to 16 July 1834. A member of the Whig Party, he backed significant reform of the British government and was among the... 2 |
Northumberland Northumberland (UK Parliament constituency) Northumberland, was a County constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.The constituency was split into two... (1806–1807) Appleby Appleby (UK Parliament constituency) Appleby was a parliamentary constituency in the former county of Westmorland in England. It existed for two separate periods: from 1295 to 1832, and from 1885 to 1918.... (1807); Tavistock Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency) Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its... (1807) |
1806 | 1807 |
| 3 | George Ponsonby George Ponsonby George Ponsonby PC , was a British lawyer and Whig politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1806 to 1807 in the Ministry of All the Talents.-Background and education:... |
Tavistock Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency) Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its... (1808–1812) Peterborough Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency) Peterborough is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, formally styled The Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past... (1812–1816) Wicklow Wicklow (UK Parliament constituency) Wicklow was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1801 to 1885 it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.... (1816–1817) |
1808 | 1817 |
| 4 | George Tierney George Tierney George Tierney PC was an English Whig politician.-Background and education:Born in Gibraltar, Tierney was the son of Thomas Tierney, a wealthy Irish merchant of London, who was living in Gibraltar as prize agent. He was sent to Eton and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he took the degree of Law in 1784... |
Appleby Appleby (UK Parliament constituency) Appleby was a parliamentary constituency in the former county of Westmorland in England. It existed for two separate periods: from 1295 to 1832, and from 1885 to 1918.... (1817–1818) Knaresborough Knaresborough (UK Parliament constituency) Knaresborough was a parliamentary constituency which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, and then one MP until its abolition in 1885.-Before the Great Reform Act:... (1818–1821) |
1818 | 1821 |
| no recognised leader | 1821 | 1830 | ||
| 5 | John Charles Spencer, Viscount Althorp John Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer John Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer PC, FRS , styled Viscount Althorp from 1783 to 1834, was a British statesman... 3 |
Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (UK Parliament constituency) The county constituency of Northamptonshire, in the East Midlands of England was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832 and was represented in... |
1830 | 1834 |
| 6 | Lord John Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC , known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was an English Whig and Liberal politician who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century.... |
South Devon South Devon (UK Parliament constituency) South Devon, formally known as the Southern Division of Devon, was parliamentary constituency in the county of Devon in England. From 1832 to 1885 it returned two Knights of the Shire to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.-Boundaries:In... (1834–1835) Stroud Stroud (UK Parliament constituency) Stroud is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.... (1835–1841) City of London City of London (UK Parliament constituency) The City of London was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950.-Boundaries and boundary... (1841–1855) |
1834 | 1855 |
| 7 | Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston 4 | Tiverton Tiverton (UK Parliament constituency) Tiverton was a constituency located in east Devon, formerly represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Enfranchised as a parliamentary borough in 1615 and first represented in 1621, it elected two Members of Parliament by the first past the post system of election... |
1855 | 1859 |
Notes
- 1 Fox was an unofficial leader of the party, as he led its largest faction.
- 2 Howick was an unofficial leader of the party, as he led its largest faction. He had a courtesy title, as the heir of the Earl Grey.
- 3 Althorp had a courtesy title, as the heir of the Earl Spencer.
- 4 Palmerston was an Irish peer.
Leaders of the Whig Party in the House of Lords
No attempt is made to include a leader in the House of Lords in the table below before 1830, except during the Ministry of all the Talents. Earl Grey was probably the leading Whig in the House from 1807, particularly once Lord Grenville retired in 1817.| Name | Title | Took Office | Left Office | |
| no recognised leader | 1801 | 1806 | ||
| 1 | William Wyndham Grenville William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville PC, PC was a British Whig statesman. He served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1806 to 1807 as head of the Ministry of All the Talents.-Background :... |
1st Lord Grenville | 11 February 1806 | 31 March 1807 |
| no recognised leader | 1807 | 1830 | ||
| 2 | Charles Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC , known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 22 November 1830 to 16 July 1834. A member of the Whig Party, he backed significant reform of the British government and was among the... |
2nd Earl Grey | 22 November 1830 | 16 July 1834 |
| 3 | William Lamb William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC, FRS was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretary and Prime Minister . He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of Queen Victoria, at ages 18-21, in the ways of politics... |
2nd Viscount Melbourne | 16 July 1834 | October 1842 |
| 4 | Henry Petty-FitzMaurice Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne KG, PC, FRS , known as Lord Henry Petty from 1784 to 1809 and then as The Earl of Kerry to 1818, was a British statesman... |
3rd Marquess of Lansdowne | October 1842 | 19 December 1852 |
| 5 | George Hamilton-Gordon George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen KG, KT, FRS, PC , styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a Scottish politician, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 until 1855.-Early life:Born in Edinburgh on 28 January 1784, he... 1 |
4th Earl of Aberdeen | 19 December 1852 | 6 February 1855 |
| 6 | Granville George Leveson-Gower | 2nd Earl Granville | 1855 | 1859 |
Notes
- 1 Aberdeen was a Peelite (or more formally a Liberal Conservative) ally of the Whigs.
See also
- Liberalism in the United KingdomLiberalism in the United KingdomThis article gives an overview of liberalism in the United Kingdom. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme...
- List of United Kingdom Liberal Party Leaders
- List of United Kingdom Liberal Democrat leaders
- Liberal Democrat Leader in the House of LordsLiberal Democrat Leader in the House of LordsThe Liberal Democrat peers elect the Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords. All leaders to date were members of Labour Party who left to form the Social Democratic Party in 1981 before merging with the Liberal Party in 1988....
- Politics of the United KingdomPolitics of the United KingdomThe politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...