| Date | 1852 |
|---|---|
| Reference | EPM-0011 |
| Volume | Eton Prime Ministers, Volume 1 |
| Collection | Eton Prime Ministers |
| Born: | 29 Mar 1799 |
| Died: | 23 Oct 1869 |
| Affiliation: | Tory and Whig |
| PM: | 23 Feb 1852 to 17 Dec 1852 20 Feb 1858 to 11 Jun 1859 28 Jun 1866 to 25 Feb 1868 |
| Length: | 3 years, 280 days |
| Title: | 14th Earl of Derby |
| At Eton: | Possibly around 1811 to 1817 |
| Timeline: | 1799: Born in Knowsley Hall, Lancashire, into the aristocratic Stanley family. 1811–1817: Educated at Eton College, then Christ Church, Oxford, where he gained a first-class degree in classics. 1822: Elected MP for Stockbridge as a Whig. 1824–1830s: Represented Preston, then Windsor in the House of Commons. Rapidly rose as a prominent Whig reformer. 1830–1833: Served as Chief Secretary for Ireland under Prime Minister Earl Grey. Introduced reforms in Irish education and administration. 1833–1834: Became Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, helping to implement the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. 1834: Broke with the Whigs over Irish Church policy and joined the Tories under Sir Robert Peel. His switch earned him the nickname “the renegade Stanley”. 1844: Succeeded his father as 14th Earl of Derby, entered the House of Lords. 1852: From February to December, he served his first term as Prime Minister (minority Conservative government). The administration failed to pass a budget and collapsed. 1858–1859: Second term as Prime Minister, leading another minority government. Passed the Government of India Act 1858, transferred the rule of India from the East India Company to the British Crown (following the Indian Rebellion of 1857). 1866–1868: Third term as Prime Minister. Successfully oversaw the passage of the Second Reform Act (1867), extending the vote to many urban working-class men in England and Wales. Though sceptical of reform, Derby supported it to preserve Conservative influence. 1868: In February, he resigned due to ill health and was succeeded by his protégé, Benjamin Disraeli. 1869: Died at Knowsley, aged 70. Buried in the family vault at Ormskirk Parish Church. |
| Notable: | Three-time Prime Minister, more than any other in the 19th century. Longest-serving leader of the Conservative Party (1846–1868). Oversaw the Second Reform Act 1867, a major step toward British democracy. Transitional figure between old Toryism and Disraeli’s modern Conservatism. |
| Sources: | History of the UK Government The Victorian Web Britannica Eton College National Portrait Gallery Museum of Prime Ministers Wikipedia |
| Windlesora: |