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PRIME MINISTER, or PREMIER

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Originally appearing in Volume V22, Page 338 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PRIME See also:MINISTER, or PREMIER , in See also:England, the first minister of the See also:Crown. Until 1905 the See also:office of prime minister was unknown to the See also:law,' but by a royal See also:warrant of the 2nd of See also:December of that See also:year the holder of the office, as such, was given See also:precedence next after the See also:archbishop of See also:York. The prime minister is the See also:medium of intercourse between the See also:cabinet and the See also:sovereign; he has to be cognizant of all matters of real importance that take See also:place in the different departments so as to exercise a controlling See also:influence in the cabinet; he is virtually responsible for the disposal of the entire patronage of the Crown; he selects his colleagues, and by his resignation of office dissolves the See also:ministry. Yet he was until 1905, in theory at least, but the equal' of the colleagues he appointed. The prime minister is nominated by the sovereign. " I offered," said See also:Sir See also:Robert See also:Peel on his resignation of office, " no See also:opinion as to the choice of a successor. That is almost the only See also:act which is the See also:personal act of the sovereign; it is for the sovereign to determine in whom her confidence shall be placed." Yet this selection by the Crown is practically limited. No prime minister could carry on the See also:government of the See also:country for any length of See also:time who did not possess the confidence of the See also:House of See also:Commons. The prime minister has no See also:salary as prime minister, but he usually holds the premiership in connexion with the first lordship of the See also:treasury, the chancellorship of the See also:exchequer, a secretaryship of See also:state or the privy See also:seal. Sir Robert See also:Walpole must be regarded as the first prime minister—that is, a minister who imposed harmonious See also:action upon his colleagues in the cabinet. This was brought about partly by the capacity of the See also:man himself, partly by the lack of See also:interest of See also:George I. and II. in See also:English See also:home affairs. This creation, as it were, of a See also:superior minister was so gradually and silently effected that it is difficult to realize its full importance.

In previous ministries there was no prime minister except so far as one member of the See also:

administration dominated over his colleagues by the force of See also:character and intelligence. In the reign of George III. even See also:North and Adding-ton were universally acknowledged by the See also:title of prime minister, though they had little claim to the See also:independence of action of a Walpole or a See also:Pitt. See also:British Prime Ministers. Sir R. Walpole . . 1721-1742 See also:Earl of Shelburne See also:John, See also:Lord See also:Carteret (afterwards See also:Mar- quess of Lans- downe) . 1782-1783 Lord North (after- wards Earl of Guil- See also:ford . . . 1783 (afterwards Earl 1742—1744 See also:Granville) . See also:Henry See also:Pelham . 1744-174 See also:Duke of See also:Newcastle . 1754-1756 See also:William Pitt and Duke of Newcastle 1756-1762 W.

Pitt . . 1783-1801 Earl of See also:

Bute . . 1762-1763 H. Addington (after- George See also:Grenville . 1763-1765 wards See also:Viscount See also:Marquess of See also:Rock- See also:Sidmouth) . 1301-1.804 See also:ingham 1765-1766 W. Pitt . . . 1804-1806 W. Pitt, Earl of Lord Grenville 1806-1807 See also:Chatham . . 1766-1767 Duke of See also:Grafton . 1767-1770 Duke of See also:Portland 18o7-18o9 Lord North .

. 1770-1782 See also:

Spencer See also:Perceval . 1809-1812 Marquess of Rock- Earl of See also:Liverpool . 1812-1827 ingham . . . 1782 G. See also:Canning . 1827 1 The first formal mention in a public document appears to be in 1878, where, in the opening clause of the treaty of See also:Berlin, the earl of See also:Beaconsfield is referred to as " First Lord of Her See also:Majesty's Treasury, Prime Minister of England." Viscount Goderich B. Disraeli (after- 1868 (afterwards Earl wards Earl of of See also:Ripon) . . . 1827-1828 Beaconsfield) . . Duke of See also:Wellington . 1828-183o W.

E. See also:

Gladstone . 1868-1874 Earl See also:Grey . . 183o-1834 B. Disraeli (Beacons- 1874-1880 Viscount See also:Melbourne 1834 See also:field) . . . Sir R. Peel . . 1834-1835 W. E. Gladstone. . 188o-1885 Viscount Melbourne 1835-1841 Marquess of Salis- Sir R.

Peel 1841-1846 See also:

bury . . 1885-1886 Lord John See also:Russell W. E. Gladstone. . 1886 (afterwards Earl Marquess of Salis- 1886-1892 Russell) . 1846-1852 bury . . . Earl of See also:Derby . 1852 W. E. Gladstone. . 1892-1894 Earl of See also:Aberdeen .

1852-1855 Earl of See also:

Rosebery . 1894-1895 Viscount See also:Palmerston 1855-1858 Marquess of Salis- Earl of Derby . . 1858-1859 bury . . . . 1895-1902 Viscount Palmerston 1859-1865 A. J. See also:Balfour . 1902-1905 Earl Russell . 1865-1866 Sir H. See also:Campbell- 1905-1908 Earl of Derby . 1866-1868 Bannerman . . H.

H. See also:

Asquith .

End of Article: PRIME MINISTER, or PREMIER

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