Records of Prime Ministers of Great Britain and
Prime Ministers of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom and the Head of Her Majesty's Government...
:
Period of service
The Prime Minister with the longest single term was
Sir Robert WalpoleRobert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC and known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
, lasting 20 years and 314 days from 4 April 1721 until 11 February 1742. This is also longer than the accumulated terms of any other Prime Minister.
The shortest period in office is more confused, depending on the criteria.
The shortest ever period was only two days, a record held by the
Earl of BathWilliam Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, PC was an English politician, created the first Earl of Bath in 1742 by King George II; he is sometimes stated to have been Prime Minister, for the shortest term ever , though most modern sources reckon that he cannot be considered to have held the...
, from 10 February to 12 February 1746, who was asked to form a government but was unable to find more than one person who would agree to serve in his cabinet. A satirist of the time wrote: "the minister to the astonishment of all wise men never transacted one rash thing; and, what is more marvellous, left as much money in the Treasury as he found in it." The
2nd Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave KG, PC, FRS was a British statesman.The eldest son of the 1st Earl Waldegrave, Waldegrave was educated at Westminster and Eton and he inherited his father's titles in 1741...
was prime minister for four days, from 8 June to 12 June 1757. However, since neither of these Earls actually formed an effective government, there are other contenders for the record of shortest term of office among those who actually governed the country.
In November 1834,
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, KP, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century....
declined to become Prime Minister in favour of
Sir Robert PeelSir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was the Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
but formed a "caretaker" administration for 25 days (17 November 1834 – 9 December 1834) while Peel returned from Europe. However, as a caretaker administration this might not necessarily be considered a term of office in its own right.
Therefore of those with clear and effective terms, the Prime Minister with the shortest single one was
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of RockinghamCharles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, KG, PC , styled The Hon. Charles Watson-Wentworth before 1733, Viscount Higham between 1733 and 1746, Earl of Malton between 1746 and 1750 and The Earl Malton in 1750, was a British Whig statesman, most notable for his two terms as Prime...
, whose second term lasted 96 days from 27 March 1782 until his death on 1 July 1782. However, combined with his first term (13 July 1765 – 30 July 1766) his total time in office was 1 year and 113 days, which exceeds the total periods of several other Prime Ministers. (The Duke of Wellington had also served as prime minister between 1828 and 1830.)
Consequently, the Prime Minister with the total shortest period in office was
George CanningGeorge Canning was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life:Canning was born at his parents' home in Queen Anne Street, Marylebone, London...
, whose sole term lasted 119 days from 10 April 1827 until his death on 8 August 1827.
Other notables
The Prime Minister with the longest period between the start of their first appointment and the end of their final term was
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of PortlandWilliam Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland PC , was a British Whig and Tory statesman, Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Prime Minister. He was known before 1762 by the courtesy title Marquess of Titchfield. He held a title of every degree of British nobility - that of Duke,...
, whose first term began on 2 April 1783 and his second and final term ended on 4 October 1809.
Portland also holds the record for the longest period between terms—his first term ended on 19 December 1783 and his second term did not start until 31 March 1807.
Number of terms
A Prime Minister's "term" is traditionally regarded as the period between their appointment and resignation (or dismissal), with the number of general elections taking place in the intervening period making no difference.
The only Prime Minister to serve four terms was
William Ewart GladstoneWilliam Ewart Gladstone was a British Liberal Party statesman and four times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
(3 December 1868 – 20 February 1874, 23 April 1880 – 23 June 1885, 1 February 1886 – 25 July 1886 and 15 August 1892 – 5 March 1894).
Age at appointment
The youngest Prime Minister to be appointed was
William Pitt the YoungerWilliam Pitt, the Younger was a British politician of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth 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...
on 19 December 1783 at the age of 24 years, 6 months and 21 days.
The oldest Prime Minister to be appointed for the first time was Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston on 6 February 1855 at the age of 71 years, 3 months and 17 days. Palmerston was also the last Prime Minister to die in office in 1865.
The oldest Prime Minister to be appointed overall was
William Ewart GladstoneWilliam Ewart Gladstone was a British Liberal Party statesman and four times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
, who was born on 29 December 1809 and appointed for the final time on 15 August 1892 at the age of 82 years, 7 months and 3 days.
Age on leaving office
The youngest Prime Minister to leave office was
Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of GraftonAugustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, KG, PC , styled Earl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was a British Whig statesman of the Georgian era...
, who retired in 1770, aged 34.
Longest lived
The longest-lived Prime Minister was
James CallaghanLeonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
, who was born on 27 March 1912 and who died on 26 March 2005 at the age of 92 years, 11 months and 30 days. Prior to this the longest living Prime Minister was
Harold MacmillanMaurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was a British Conservative politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
, who was born on 10 February 1894 and died on 29 December 1986.
Of the three former Prime Ministers currently alive, the oldest is
Margaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She is the only woman to have held either post....
, who was born on 13 October 1925 and is 84 years old. If she is still alive on 14 October 2018, then she will surpass Callaghan's record and become the longest-lived Prime Minister.
Shortest lived
The shortest-lived Prime Minister was
William Cavendish, 4th Duke of DevonshireWilliam Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, KG, PC , styled Lord Cavendish before 1729 and Marquess of Hartington between 1729 and 1755, was a British Whig statesman who was briefly titular Prime Minister of Great Britain.-Early career:He was elected MP for Derbyshire in 1741 and 1747, but left the...
, who was born on 8 May 1720 and died on 2 October 1764 at the age of 44 years and 147 days.
The youngest living former Prime Minister is
Tony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, who was born on .
Longest lived after office
The Prime Minister who lived the longest after leaving office for the final time was
Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of GraftonAugustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, KG, PC , styled Earl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was a British Whig statesman of the Georgian era...
, who left office on 28 January 1770 and died on 14 March 1811, a total of 41 years, 1 month and 17 days.
In recent years, the Prime Minister who lived the longest after leaving office was
Edward HeathSir Edward Richard George Heath, KG, MBE , often known as Ted Heath, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975...
, whose term ended on 4 March 1974; he died on 17 July 2005, 31 years and 135 days later.
Shortest lived after office
The Prime Minister who lived the shortest period after leaving office (excluding those who died in office) was Sir
Henry Campbell-BannermanSir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, GCB was a British Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister from 5 December 1905 until resigning due to ill health on 3 April 1908...
, who resigned on 3 April 1908 and died just nineteen days later on 22 April 1908, while still resident in
10 Downing Street10 Downing Street is the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury and hence Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
.
Died in office
Seven Prime Ministers have died in office:
- Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington
Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington KG, KB, PC was a British Whig statesman who served continuously in government from 1715 until his death...
, who died on 2 July 1743.
- Henry Pelham
Henry Pelham was a British Whig statesman, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 27 August 1743 until his death in 1754...
, who died on 6 March 1754.
- Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, KG, PC , styled The Hon. Charles Watson-Wentworth before 1733, Viscount Higham between 1733 and 1746, Earl of Malton between 1746 and 1750 and The Earl Malton in 1750, was a British Whig statesman, most notable for his two terms as Prime...
, who died on 1 July 1782.
- William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt, the Younger was a British politician of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth 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...
, who died on 23 January 1806.
- Spencer Perceval
Spencer Perceval, KC was a British statesman and Prime Minister. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated. He is the only Solicitor General or Attorney General, and one of very few lawyers, to have been Prime Minister.The younger son of a minor nobleman, Perceval was...
, who was shot by John BellinghamJohn Bellingham was the assassin of British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval. This murder was the only successful attempt on the life of a British Prime Minister...
on 11 May 1812.
- George Canning
George Canning was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life:Canning was born at his parents' home in Queen Anne Street, Marylebone, London...
, who died on 8 August 1827.
- Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century...
, who died on 18 October 1865.
Spencer Perceval is the only Prime Minister to have been assassinated.
Miscellaneous
The Prime Minister who had the most children is
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl GreyCharles 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...
, who fathered 13 children.
The tallest Prime Minister is believed to be
Lord SalisburyRobert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , known as Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and as Viscount Cranborne from 1865 until 1868, was a British statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
, who was around in height, although Downing Street's own website lists
James CallaghanLeonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
as the tallest.
The shortest period between entering Parliament and being appointed Prime Minister was
William Pitt the YoungerWilliam Pitt, the Younger was a British politician of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth 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...
who became Prime Minister two years after first becoming an MP.
Henry Addington, 1st Viscount SidmouthHenry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, PC was a British statesman, and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1804....
became Prime Minister 6 years after entering Parliament, the only other to have become Prime Minister in his first ten years in Parliament. The longest period of service as an MP before becoming Prime Minister was 47 years for Lord Palmerston.
The longest period of service for a Prime Minister in the House of Commons was
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
who spent 63 years as an MP.
See also