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First Russell ministry

Government of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852

Government of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852

Whig Lord John Russell led the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1846 to 1852.

History

Following the split in the Tory Party over the Corn Laws in 1846 and the consequent end of Sir Robert Peel's second government, the Whigs came to power under Lord John Russell. Sir Charles Wood became Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir George Grey Home Secretary and Lord Palmerston Foreign Secretary for the third time.

One of the major problems facing the government was the Great Irish Famine (1845–1849), which Russell failed to deal with effectively. Another problem was the maverick Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston, who was eventually forced to resign in December 1851 after recognising the coup d'état of Louis Napoleon without first seeking royal approval. He was succeeded by Lord Granville, the first of his three tenures as Foreign Secretary. Palmerston thereafter successfully devoted his energies to bringing down Russell's government, leading to the formation of a minority Conservative government under Lord Derby in February 1852.

Cabinet

July 1846 – February 1852

OfficeNameTerm
First Lord of the Treasury
Leader of the House of Commons
Lord Chancellor
Lord President of the Council
Leader of the House of Lords
Lord Privy Seal
Home Secretary
Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
Chancellor of the Exchequer
First Lord of the Admiralty
President of the Board of Control
President of the Board of Trade
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
First Commissioner of Woods and Forests
Chief Secretary for Ireland
Postmaster General
Paymaster General
Secretary at War

† became the Earl of Carlisle in 1848 ‡ denotes becoming a member of the cabinet, not gaining the office

Notes

  • Lord Carlisle served as both Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and First Commissioner of Woods and Forests between March and July 1850.

Changes

  • July 1847: Henry Labouchere succeeds Lord Clarendon as President of the Board of Trade. Labouchere's successor as Chief Secretary for Ireland is not in the cabinet. Thomas Babington Macaulay leaves the cabinet. His successor as Paymaster-General is not in the Cabinet.
  • January 1849: Sir Francis Baring succeeds Lord Auckland as First Lord of the Admiralty
  • March 1850: Lord Carlisle succeeds Lord Campbell as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He remains First Commissioner of Woods and Forests
  • July 1850: Lord Truro succeeds Lord Cottenham as Lord Chancellor. Lord Seymour succeeds Lord Carlisle as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests. Lord Carlisle remains Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
  • 1851: Fox Maule, the Secretary at War, and Lord Granville, the Paymaster-General, enter the Cabinet
  • December 1851: Lord Granville succeeds Lord Palmerston as Foreign Secretary. Granville's successor as Paymaster-General is not in the Cabinet
  • February 1852: Fox Maule succeeds Sir John Cam Hobhouse as President of the Board of Control. Maule's successor as Secretary at War is not in the Cabinet.

List of ministers

Cabinet members are listed in bold face.

OfficeNameDateNotes
Prime Minister,
First Lord of the Treasury
and Leader of the House of Commons**Lord John Russell**30 June 1846 – 21 February 1852The Government resigned 22 February 1851 and resumed 3 March 1851
Chancellor of the Exchequer**Sir Charles Wood, 3rd Baronet**6 July 1846
Parliamentary Secretary to the TreasuryHenry Tufnell7 July 1846
William Goodenough HayterJuly 1850
Financial Secretary to the TreasuryJohn Parker7 July 1846
William Goodenough Hayter22 May 1849
George Cornewall Lewis9 July 1850
Junior Lords of the TreasuryHugh Fortescue, Viscount Ebrington6 July 1846 – 22 December 1847the number of Junior Lordships was reduced from four to three in 1848
Denis O'Conor6 July 1846 – 2 August 1847
William Gibson-Craig6 July 1846 – 21 February 1852
Henry Rich6 July 1846 – 21 February 1852
Richard Bellew2 August 1847 – 21 February 1852
Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl of Shelburne22 December 1847 – August 1848
Lord Chancellor**Charles Pepys, 1st Baron Cottenham**6 July 1846
*in commission*19 June 1850
**Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro**15 July 1850
Lord President of the Council
and Leader of the House of Lords**Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne**6 July 1846
Lord Privy Seal**Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 2nd Earl of Minto**6 July 1846
Secretary of State for the Home Department**Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet**6 July 1846
Under-Secretary of State for the Home DepartmentSir William Somerville, 5th Baronet5 July 1846
Sir Denis Le Marchant, 1st Baronet22 July 1847
George Cornewall Lewis15 May 1848
Edward Pleydell-Bouverie9 July 1850
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs**Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston**6 July 1846
**Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville**26 December 1851
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsEdward Stanley6 July 1846
Austen Henry Layard12 February 1852
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies**Henry Grey, 3rd Earl Grey**6 July 1846
Under-Secretary of State for War and the ColoniesBenjamin Hawes6 July 1846
Frederick Peel1 November 1851
President of the Board of Control**Sir John Hobhouse, 2nd Baronet**8 July 1846
**Fox Maule**5 February 1852
Joint Secretaries to the Board of ControlGeorge Byng6 July 1846 – 30 November 1847
Thomas Wyse6 July 1846 – 26 January 1849
George Cornewall Lewis30 November 1847 – 16 May 1848
James Wilson16 May 1848 – 21 February 1852
John Elliot26 January 1849 – 21 February 1852
First Lord of the Admiralty**George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland**7 July 1846
**Sir Francis Baring, 3rd Baronet**15 January 1849
First Secretary of the AdmiraltyHenry George Ward13 July 1846
John Parker21 May 1849
Civil Lord of the AdmiraltyWilliam Cowper7 July 1846
Chief Secretary for Ireland**Henry Labouchere**6 July 1846
Sir William Somerville, 5th Baronet22 July 1847
Lord Lieutenant of IrelandJohn Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough8 July 1846
George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon22 May 1847
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster**John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell**6 July 1846
**George Howard, 7th Earl of Carlisle**6 March 1850
Paymaster General**Thomas Babington Macaulay**7 July 1846
**Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville**8 May 1848entered the Cabinet October 1851
Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley12 February 1852
Postmaster-General**Ulick de Burgh, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde**7 July 1846
President of the Board of Trade**George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon**6 July 1846
**Henry Labouchere**22 July 1847
Vice-President of the Board of TradeThomas Milner Gibson8 July 1846
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville8 May 1848
Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley11 February 1852
First Commissioner of Woods and Forests**George Howard, Viscount Morpeth**7 July 1846succeeded as 7th Earl of Carlisle 7 October 1848
Edward Seymour, Baron Seymour17 April 1849office abolished 1 August 1851
First Commissioner of Works**Edward Seymour, Baron Seymour**1 August 1851entered the Cabinet October 1851
Master-General of the OrdnanceHenry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey8 July 1846
Surveyor-General of the OrdnanceCharles Richard Fox8 July 1846
Clerk of the OrdnanceGeorge Anson8 July 1846
Storekeeper of the OrdnanceSir Thomas Hastings25 July 1845continued in office
President of the Poor Law BoardCharles Buller23 July 1847
Matthew Talbot Baines1 January 1849
Parliamentary Secretary to the Poor Law BoardHugh Fortescue, Viscount Ebrington23 July 1847
Ralph William Grey28 January 1851
Secretary at WarFox Maule6 July 1846
Robert Vernon Smith6 February 1852
Attorney GeneralSir Thomas Wilde7 July 1846
Sir John Jervis17 July 1846
Sir John Romilly11 July 1850
Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet28 March 1851
Solicitor GeneralJohn Jervis7 July 1846
Sir David Dundas18 July 1846
Sir John Romilly4 April 1848
Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet11 July 1850
Sir William Page Wood28 March 1851
Judge Advocate GeneralCharles Buller8 July 1846
William Goodenough Hayter22 December 1847
Sir David Dundas26 May 1849
Lord AdvocateAndrew Rutherfurd6 July 1846
James Moncreiff7 April 1851
Solicitor General for ScotlandThomas Maitland6 July 1846
James Moncreiff7 February 1850
John Cowan18 April 1851
George Deas28 June 1851
Attorney General for IrelandRichard Moore16 July 1846
James Henry Monahan21 December 1847
John Hatchell23 September 1850
Solicitor General for IrelandJames Henry Monahan16 July 1846
John Hatchell24 December 1847
Henry George Hughes26 September 1850
Lord Steward of the HouseholdHugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue8 July 1846
Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster22 March 1850
Lord Chamberlain of the HouseholdFrederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer8 July 1846
John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane5 September 1848
Vice-Chamberlain of the HouseholdLord Edward Howard8 July 1846
Master of the HorseHenry Fitzalan-Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk11 July 1846
Treasurer of the HouseholdLord Robert Grosvenor3 August 1846
Lord Marcus Hill23 July 1847
Comptroller of the HouseholdLord Marcus Hill6 July 1846
William Lascelles23 July 1847
George Phipps, 2nd Earl of Mulgrave23 July 1851
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-ArmsThomas Foley, 4th Baron Foley24 July 1846
Captain of the Yeomen of the GuardLucius Cary, 10th Viscount Falkland24 July 1846
George Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall11 February 1848
Master of the BuckhoundsGranville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville9 July 1846
John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough16 May 1848
Chief Equerry and Clerk MarshalLord Alfred Paget7 July 1846
Mistress of the RobesHarriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland4 July 1846
Lords in WaitingEdmund Parker, 2nd Earl of Morley24 July 1846 – 21 February 1852
Henry Reynolds-Moreton, 2nd Earl of Ducie24 July 1846 – 1 December 1847
Henry Cavendish, 3rd Baron Waterpark24 July 1846 – 21 February 1852
Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys4 August 1846 – 21 February 1852
George Douglas, 17th Earl of Morton10 September 1841 – 26 June 1849
John Butler, 2nd Marquess of Ormonde10 September 1841 – 21 February 1852
John Elphinstone, 13th Lord Elphinstone1 December 1847 – 21 February 1852
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 5th Baron Dufferin and Clandeboye26 June 1849 – 21 February 1852

References

  • C. Cook and B. Keith, British Historical Facts 1830–1900
Info: Wikipedia Source

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