Records of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
The article lists the records of Prime Ministers of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom since 1721.
Period of service
The Prime Minister with the longest single term was Sir Robert Walpole, lasting 20 years and 315 days from 3 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 Lord Bath, from 10 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." James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave was a prime minister for four days, from 8 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, the Duke of Wellington declined to become Prime Minister in favour of Sir Robert Peel but formed a ’caretaker’ administration for 25 days 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 Lord Rockingham, whose second term lasted 96 days from 27 March 1782 until his death on 1 July 1782. However, combined with his first term his total time in office was 1 year and 113 days, which exceeds the total periods of several other Prime Ministers.
Consequently, the Prime Minister with the total shortest period in office was George Canning, whose sole term lasted 119 days from 12 April 1827 until his death on 8 August 1827.
The Prime Minister with the longest period between the start of their first appointment and the end of their final term was the Duke of Portland, whose first term began on 2 April 1783 and whose second and final term ended on 4 October 1809.
Number of terms
A Prime Minister's "term" is traditionally regarded as the period between their appointment and resignation, dismissal, with the number of general elections taking place in the intervening period making no difference.The only Prime Minister to serve four terms under that definition was William Ewart Gladstone.
Terms of Prime Ministers and reigns of sovereigns
The office of Prime Minister has coincided with the reigns of eleven British monarchs, to whom the Prime Minister has been constitutionally head of government to the sovereign's headship of state.Until 1837 the death of a sovereign led to Parliament being dissolved within six months which led to a general election. Results of such elections were:
Served under most sovereigns
is the only Prime Minister to have served three sovereigns, in succession King George V, King Edward VIII and King George VI. Through being in office at transitions between reigns, eight Prime Ministers each served under two sovereigns:Number of Prime Ministers serving during reign
Elizabeth II has had 14 Prime Ministers serving during her reign, from Sir Winston Churchill to present PM Boris Johnson. This ties a record previously set by George III, who had 14 Prime Ministers serving during his 59-year reign, beginning with the Duke of Newcastle. However, George III's last Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool, was appointed by his son during his father's final incapacity to rule.In downward numerical order, numbers of Prime Ministers in office during other reigns are:
Prime Ministers born during reigns in which they held office
Only seven Prime Ministers came to serve office under sovereigns in whose own reigns they were born. The present Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is the fourth Prime Minister to have been born in the reign of the present sovereign Queen Elizabeth II.King George III
Queen Victoria
Queen Elizabeth II
Cameron and Johnson have the additional distinction of being younger than all of their monarch's children.
Prime Ministers who lived under most reigns
Both Robert Walpole and Lord Wilmington lived under the reigns of the same six sovereigns: Charles II, James II, William III and his joint sovereign Mary II, Queen Anne, George I and George II.Sir Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee, Anthony Eden and Harold Macmillan all lived under the six reigns of Victoria, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI and Elizabeth II.
Age
Age at appointment
The youngest Prime Minister to be appointed was William Pitt the Younger on 19 December 1783 at the age of 24 years, 6 months and 21 days.was appointed more times than any other Prime Minister. He was also the oldest person ever appointed.
The oldest Prime Minister to be appointed for the first time was Lord Palmerston on 6 February 1855 at the age of 70 years, 3 months and 17 days.
The oldest Prime Minister to be appointed overall, and oldest to win a General Election, was William Ewart Gladstone, 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, following that year's General Election.
Age on leaving office
The youngest Prime Minister to leave office was the Duke of Grafton, who retired in 1770, aged 34. The oldest was Gladstone, who was 84 at the time of his final retirement in 1894.Age differences of outgoing and incoming Prime Ministers
Greatest age difference – Lord Rosebery was 37 years 129 days younger than William Ewart Gladstone whom he succeeded after the final retirement of the latter in 1894.Smallest age difference – George Canning was 67 days senior to Lord Liverpool, whom he succeeded after Liverpool retired in 1827. Canning and Liverpool were one of four pairs of immediately consecutive Prime Ministers who shared a same birth year, the others being:
- William Pitt the Younger and Lord Grenville in 1759
- Lord Aberdeen and Lord Palmerston in 1784
- Harold Wilson and Edward Heath in 1916
Longest lived
The longest-lived Prime Minister was James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, who was born on 27 March 1912 and died on 26 March 2005 at the age of 92 years 364 days, which was the day before his 93rd birthday. Prior to this the longest living Prime Minister was Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, who was born on 10 February 1894 and died on 29 December 1986.Of the five former Prime Ministers currently alive, the oldest is John Major, who was born on 29 March 1943 and is years old. If he is still alive on 29 March 2036, he will surpass Callaghan's record and become the longest-lived Prime Minister.
Shortest lived
The shortest-lived Prime Minister was the Duke of Devonshire, who was born on 8 May 1720 and died on 2 October 1764 at the age of 44 years and 147 days.Longest lived after office
The Prime Minister who lived the longest after leaving office for the final time was the Duke of Grafton, who left office on 28 January 1770 and died on 14 March 1811, a total of 41 years and 45 days.In recent years, the Prime Minister who lived the longest after leaving office was Edward Heath, 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 was Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, who resigned on 3 April 1908 and died just 19 days later on 22 April 1908, while still resident in 10 Downing Street.Intervals between terms of office
The Duke of Portland was out of office between his two terms for 23 years and 101 days, from 19 December 1783 to 31 March 1807.The shortest interval was achieved by Henry Pelham, who resigned on 10 February 1746 but returned to office two days later when Lord Bath had been invited to form a ministry but failed to do so. The shortest interval where an intervening ministry had been formed was achieved by Lord Melbourne, who was out of office after being dismissed on 14 November 1834 but returned following the end of successor Sir Robert Peel's first ministry on 18 April 1835155 days later.
Female Prime Ministers
Female Prime Ministers have led the United Kingdom for a total of 14 years 219 days.Of all the Prime Ministers, only two have been female.
- Margaret Thatcher
- Theresa May
Birthplace
- Lord Shelburne was born in Dublin in 1737.
- The Duke of Wellington was born at 6 Merrion Street, Dublin in 1769.
All other Prime Ministers were born in Great Britain. Although of Welsh origin, David Lloyd George was born in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Lancashire.
Facial hair
British male Prime Ministers when in office have been predominately clean shaven men, except for the following :Bearded
Moustached when in office
In a pattern similar to the bald–hairy rule in Russia, between 1922 and 1957 men with moustaches succeeded clean-shaven men as Prime Minister, and vice versa.
Side whiskers
Nationality of Prime Ministers
The English are a majority within the United Kingdom. Several Prime Ministers have come from the other nations of the United Kingdom.Irish
Scottish
Welsh
- David Lloyd George – born in England but Welsh-speaking, only Prime Minister from a non-English-speaking background
Boris Johnson, first American-born Prime Minister. Also first British Prime Minister to have been potentially eligible for the office of the President of the United States: until 2016 he was a natural-born citizen, but had not completed the required 14 years of US residence. He has both Muslim and Jewish ancestry, one ancestor having been a Rabbi and a great grandfather having been the journalist and politician Ali Kemal.
Others
- First ethnically Jewish British Prime MinisterBenjamin Disraeli.
- James Callaghan's paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Bernstein, was Jewish.
- David Cameron is a great-great-grandson of Emile Levita, a German Jewish financier and a direct descendant of Renaissance scholar Elia Levita. Through Levita, Cameron is a descendant of the Levites, who themselves claim to be descended from Levi, a son of Jacob and one whose name is associated with the 12 tribes of Israel. His wife, Cameron's great-great-grandmother, was a descendant of the wealthy Danish Jewish Rée family on her father's side.
- Boris Johnson, whose mother is the granddaughter of Elias Avery Lowe, who was a Russian Jewish immigrant to the US,
- Anglo-Indian - Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, had a part Indian mother and was one-eighth Indian
Religious background of Prime Ministers
Prime Ministers of other denominations were:
Church of Scotland
Scottish Episcopal Church
Unitarian Church
- The Duke of GraftonChurch of England when in office, became member of Unitarian congregation in London in 1774.
- Neville Chamberlain
Baptist
- David Lloyd George - lost his faith as a youth, but retained an appreciation of good preaching and hymn-singing.
- James Callaghan – although he became atheist by the time he reached office.
Methodist Church of Great Britain
- Margaret Thatcher – until 1951, was Anglican subsequently and while in office.
- Tony Blair – Anglican while in office, he converted to Catholicism after leaving office in 2007.
- Boris Johnson – baptised as a Roman Catholic but became an Anglican while at school.
- Benjamin Disraeli – until 1817, was Anglican subsequently and while in office.
- David Lloyd George - lost his faith as a youth, but retained an appreciation of good preaching and hymn-singing.
- Clement Attlee – an agnostic who described himself as "incapable of religious feeling," saying that he believed in "the ethics of Christianity" but not "the mumbo-jumbo".
- James Callaghan – became an atheist while working as a trade union official.
Disabled Prime Ministers
- Lord Liverpool, who was incapacitated by a severe stroke on 17 February 1827, forcing him to retire from office on 9 April 1827.
- The Duke of Wellington, who was permanently deaf in his left ear after an operation in 1822.
- William Ewart Gladstone, who lost the forefinger of his left hand in an accident with a firearm in 1842.
- Sir Winston Churchill, who during his second term became increasingly deaf and had a series of strokes that led to his retirement and using a wheelchair in later years.
- Harold Macmillan, who was left with a slight limp and poor strength in his right hand, affecting his handwriting, after several wounds in the First World War.
- Gordon Brown, who lost the sight of one eye in a school rugby accident at age of sixteen.
- Theresa May, who has type 1 diabetes.
- The Duke of Newcastle, who was left lame and speech-impaired after a stroke in December 1767.
- Lord North, who lost his eyesight between 1786 and 1790.
- Lord Rosebery, whose movement, hearing and eyesight were increasingly impaired between a stroke in 1918 and his death in 1929.
- H. H. Asquith, who became a wheelchair user by his last year following a stroke.
- Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, who became deaf by October 1947, when he had to ask if a crowd cheering were booing him.
General elections
Most Prime Ministers in office between general elections
There have been two intervals between general elections, both in the 18th century, when on both occasions five successive Prime Ministers were in office.- Between the general elections of 1761 and 1768: the Duke of Newcastle, Lord Bute, George Grenville, Lord Rockingham and Lord Chatham.
- In the shorter interval between the general elections of 1780 and 1784: Lord North, Lord Rockingham, Lord Shelburne, the Duke of Portland and William Pitt the Younger.
Most general elections contested as party leader
The most number of general elections contested by an individual is six. H. H. Asquith contested the January 1910, December 1910, 1918, 1922, 1923 and the 1924 general elections.The most number of general elections lost by an individual is five. Charles James Fox was unsuccessful after contesting the 1784, 1790, 1796, 1801 co-option and 1802 general elections, and subsequently never became Prime Minister. The most number of general elections won by an individual is four. Robert Walpole, Lord Liverpool, William Ewart Gladstone and Harold Wilson each won four general elections.
Age at losing a general election
The youngest person to be on the losing side at a general election was Charles James Fox, who led his Whig Party to defeat in the 1784 general election when aged 35. The youngest Prime Minister to be on the losing side at a general election was Lord Rosebery, who, having resigned his ministry in May 1895, led his Liberal Party to defeat in the general election the following month when aged 48. Since peers ceased to hold this office, the youngest losing Prime Minister was John Major, at 54 years and 33 days when the Conservative Party lost the 1997 general election.William Ewart Gladstone, was the oldest, at 76 years, when his party lost the 1886 general election, although he returned to office in 1892. The oldest Prime Minister to be defeated without returning to office was Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, who was 75 when the Conservative Party lost the 1880 general election. Aged, Jeremy Corbyn is the oldest person to be on the losing side of a general election without ever becoming prime minister when the Labour Party lost the 2019 general election.
Age at winning a general election
The youngest Prime Minister to be on the winning side at a general election was William Pitt the Younger, who led his Tory Party to victory in the 1784 general election when aged 25. In recent years, the youngest Prime Minister to be on the winning side at a general election was David Cameron, who was 43 years and 209 days old when he led his Conservative Party to victory in the 2010 general election.William Ewart Gladstone, was the oldest. He was 82 years of age when he returned to office after his Liberal Party were successful in the 1892 general election. The oldest Prime Minister to be victorious at a general election for the first time was Lord Palmerston, who was 72 years of age when his Whig Party won the 1857 general election.
Prime Ministers in office without a general election
Fourteen Prime Ministers never fought a general election while they held office, usually by serving terms sandwiched between the victor of one election and the Prime Minister who faced the next. Chronologically they were:- Lord Wilmington
- The Duke of Devonshire
- Lord Bute
- George Grenville
- The Duke of Grafton
- Lord Rockingham
- Lord Shelburne
- Spencer Perceval
- George Canning
- Lord Goderich
- Lord Aberdeen
- Lord Rosebery
- Arthur Balfour
- Neville Chamberlain
Prime Ministers who served from (or later entered) the House of Lords
Without counting Lord Russell, eighteen Prime Ministers served their entire terms from the House of Lords where they were already members, chronologically:
Three Prime Ministers were elevated from the Commons to the House of Lords during their terms through being raised to the peerage:
- Sir Robert Walpole, made the 1st Earl of Orford five days before formally resigning in 1742.
- William Pitt the Elder, made the 1st Earl of Chatham five days after taking office in 1766.
- Benjamin Disraeli, made the 1st Earl of Beaconsfield in 1876, two years after taking his second term of office in 1874.
Sir Alec Douglas-Home disclaimed his hereditary peerage as the 14th Earl of Home four days after coming to office in 1963, giving up his seat in the Lords and subsequently sat in the Commons after succeeding in a by-election, pending which for 20 days he held office from neither House. He returned to the Lords when made life peer as Baron Home of the Hirsel in 1974.
Eleven Prime Ministers have served their entire terms as Members of the House of Commons but were elevated to the House of Lords afterwards by being created peers:
In contrast 17 Prime Ministers preceding the current have never become members of the House of Lords, including their four immediate predecessors. Henry Pelham was the first to be a lifelong 'Commoner' but the convention of Prime Ministers leading from the House of Commons only became established in the 20th century.
Holders of Irish peerages legally did not sit in the House of Lords in the Parliaments of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, but were allowed to sit in the House of Commons. Lord Palmerston was the only Irish peer to serve as Prime Minister, thus leading from the House of Commons.
Service in House of Commons
The shortest period between entering Parliament and being appointed Prime Minister was achieved by William Pitt the Younger who became Prime Minister two years after first becoming an MP. The longest period of service as an MP before becoming Prime Minister was 47 years for Lord Palmerston.The oldest debut of a future Prime Minister as MP was by Neville Chamberlain who was elected, aged 49 years 261 days, at general election in 1918.
The youngest at first election was Lord Euston, who was elected at by election on 10 December 1756 aged 21 years and 73 days. He also had the shortest period as an MP enjoyed by a Prime Minister, nearly five months, representing two successive seats until going to the House of Lords when he succeeded his father as the 3rd Duke of Grafton on 6 May 1757, eleven years before his term of office began.
The longest service as MP was enjoyed by Sir Winston Churchill, who sat for a total of 63 years and 360 days, for five successive seats, between 1 October 1900 and retiring on 25 September 1964, excluding two intervals out of parliament, retiring as Father of the House. He was in the Commons throughout both his terms as Prime Minister, and his service covered the terms of eleven other Prime Ministers, from Lord Salisbury to Sir Alec Douglas-Home, but did not serve under Bonar Law who was in office when Churchill was briefly out of parliament.
David Lloyd George had the longest unbroken career as an MP, for one seat, Carnarvon Boroughs, from a by-election on 10 April 1890 until his death on 26 March 1945a period of 54 years and 350 days. From 1929 he had been Father of the House. It also covered the successive terms of eleven other Prime Ministers, from Lord Salisbury to Winston Churchill.
Of intervals between service in the Commons, Sir Alec Douglas-Home had the longest between automatically vacating his seat at Lanark on 11 July 1951 by succeeding his father and going to the House of Lords as the 14th Earl of Home, and gaining his next seat at Kinross and Western Perthshire in a by-election on 7 November 1963a total of 12 years 123 daysafter becoming Prime Minister and disclaiming his hereditary peerage. He had a previous interval out of the Commons between defeat in the 1945 General Election and returning in that of 1950 more than four years later.
Of parliamentary constituencies that have been represented, none have been represented by more than one serving Prime Minister. Four future Prime Ministers sat for Newport, Isle of Wight : Lord Palmerston and Sir Arthur Wellesley in 1807–09, George Canning in 1826–27 and William Lamb, later Lord Melbourne in April–May 1827.
It is rare for veteran Prime Ministers sitting in the Commons to lose seats through electoral defeat at subsequent general elections. Those who have are:
- Arthur Balfour in 1906.
- H. H. Asquith in 1918.
- Ramsay MacDonald in 1935.
Prime Ministers who were Father of the House
Education
School with most alumni Prime MinistersEton College20. Harrow School has educated 7 Prime Ministers, most recently Winston Churchill.University with most alumni Prime MinistersOxford University28
University college with most alumni Prime MinistersChrist Church, Oxford13
Vocational institution with most Prime Ministers as studentsThe Inns of Court11. Of these, eight passed through Lincoln's Inn.
The first Prime Minister never to have been a university graduate was the Duke of Devonshire, the last was John Major.
Armed forces veterans
The earliest Prime Minister to be an armed forces veteran was Henry Pelham, Prime Minister in 1743–54, who had served as a volunteer soldier in James Dormer's Regiment of Dragoons during the Jacobite rising of 1715 and fought at the Battle of Preston that year against the Jacobite forces. Clement Attlee served as a commissioned officer in World War 1 from 1914-1919 and left as a Major having served in the Gallipoli campaign, Mesopotamian campaign and Western Front.As of the last Prime Minister to be an armed forces veteran was James Callaghan, Prime Minister in 1976–79, who served in the Royal Navy in the Second World War, from 1942 to 1945, seeing action with the East Indies Fleet and reaching the rank of Lieutenant. He was the only future Prime Minister to serve in the navy rather than the army.
In contrast to many nations, Britain has had only two Prime Ministers who have been military generals: Lord Shelburne, Prime Minister in 1782–83, who was promoted from Lieutenant-General to full General in the British Army in the latter year, and the Duke of Wellington, who achieved the supreme rank of Field Marshal in 1813. He was Prime Minister twice, in 1828–30 and 1834, in the interval between his two terms as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces. During his military career he took part in some 60 battles, seeing more wartime combat than any other future Prime Minister.
No future Prime Ministers have yet served in the flying services, although Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister in 1937–40, and Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister in 1940–45 and 1951–55, were honorary Air Commodores in the Auxiliary Air Force during their respective terms of office.
Active service veterans
Jacobite Rising- Henry Pelham – Dormer's Regimentfought Battle of Preston
- Lord RockinghamColonel of volunteers raised against invasion from Scotland
- Lord Shelburne, Colonel, 20th FootCanada, France, Germany
- The Duke of Wellington, Field Marshal, ArmyFlanders, India, Peninsular War and Waterloo Campaign
Mahdist War
- Winston Churchill, Lieutenant, 4th Queen's Own Hussars, attached 21st Lancers
- Winston Churchill, Lieutenant, South African Light Horse and war correspondent
- Winston Churchill, Major, Grenadier Guards, later Lieutenant-Colonel, Royal Scots FusiliersWestern Front
- Clement Attlee, Major, South Lancashire RegimentGallipoli Campaign, Mesopotamian campaign and Western Front
- Anthony Eden, Major, Rifle BrigadeWestern Front
- Harold Macmillan, Captain, Grenadier GuardsWestern Front
Although Eden and Alec Douglas-Home were Territorial Army officers at outbreak of war in 1939, neither was mobilised and the latter was invalided due to disabling spinal tuberculosis.
- Edward Heath, Lieutenant-Colonel, Royal Artillery, North West Europe
- James Callaghan, Lieutenant, Royal Navy, East Indies
War bereaved Prime Ministers
- Lord Roseberyone son killed in action, First World War
- H. H. Asquith – one son killed in action, First World War
- Bonar Law – two sons killed in action, First World War
- Anthony Eden – two brothers killed in action, First World War, and one son killed in action, Second World War
- Alec Douglas-Home – one brother killed on active service, Second World War
- Lord Bute – one male line grandson died serving aboard ship in the Napoleonic War
- Sir Robert Peel – one surviving son died serving in the Indian Mutiny
- William Ewart Gladstone – two male line grandsons were killed in action, First World War
- Lord Salisbury – four male line grandsons were killed in action, First World War
Decorated
Churchill was also the first and so far only British Prime Minister to receive a Nobel Prize.
The most widely decorated Prime Minister by the number of states from which he received honours was the Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, who is known to have received 28 orders, decorations and medals from the United Kingdom and seventeen other states, in recognition of his military services.
The British order of knighthood most frequently conferred on Prime Ministers has been the Order of the Garter, of which 30 male Prime Ministers have been Knight Companions and the first female, Margaret Thatcher, a Lady Companion of the Order. Nine Prime Ministers, including Thatcher, received it after serving office. As of, the only currently living Knight among them is John Major, knighted in 2005.
The first and so far only Prime Minister to have received a British gallantry award was Sir Anthony Eden who won the Military Cross while serving in the army in the First World War, before entering parliament.
Number of living former Prime Ministers
None
After Sir Robert Walpole, three other Prime Ministers have been in office at a time when no former Prime Ministers were alive:- Henry Pelham from the death of Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, in 1745 until his own death in 1754.
- The Duke of Newcastle from the death of Pelham in 1754 until the end of his first term in 1756.
- William Ewart Gladstone from the death of Disraeli in 1881 until the end of his second term in 1885.
One
- Henry Pelham from his appointment in August 1743 until the death of Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, in March 1745 only Walpole would be alive.
- The Duke of Newcastle in his second term, only the Duke of Devonshire would be alive.
- The Duke of Devonshire in his term, only the Duke of Newcastle would be alive.
- Lord Russell in his second term, only Lord Derby would be alive.
- Lord Derby in his third term, only Lord Russell would be alive.
- Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, from the death of Lord Russell in May 1878 until the end of his second term in April 1880, only William Ewart Gladstone would be alive.
- William Ewart Gladstone from his second appointment in April 1880 until the death of Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, in April 1881 only Disraeli would be alive. And in his third term and his fourth term only Lord Salisbury would be alive.
- Lord Salisbury in his first term and second term, only William Ewart Gladstone would be alive. And from the death of Gladstone in May 1898 until the end of his third term in July 1902 only Lord Rosebery would be alive.
- Arthur Balfour from the death of Lord Salisbury in August 1903 until the end of his term in December 1905 only Lord Rosebery would be alive.
- Sir Winston Churchill in his second term, only Clement Attlee would be alive.
- Clement Attlee from the death of Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, in November 1947 until the end of his term in October 1951 only Winston Churchill would be alive.
Most
Living former Prime Ministers
There are currently five living former prime ministers. From oldest to youngest:Prime Minister | Date of birth | Tenure |
Sir John Major | 1990–1997 | |
Gordon Brown | 2007–2010 | |
Tony Blair | 1997–2007 | |
Theresa May | 2016–2019 | |
David Cameron | 2010–2016 |
The most recent death of a former Prime Minister was that of Baroness Thatcher on 8 April 2013.
Died in office
Seven Prime Ministers have died in office:- Lord Wilmington, who died on 2 July 1743, aged 70.
- Henry Pelham, who died on 6 March 1754, aged 59.
- Lord Rockingham, who died on 1 July 1782, aged 52.
- William Pitt the Younger, who died on 23 January 1806, aged 46, the youngest to die in office.
- Spencer Perceval, who was assassinated by John Bellingham on 11 May 1812, aged 49.
- George Canning, who died on 8 August 1827, aged 57.
- Lord Palmerston, who died on 18 October 1865, aged 80 ; the oldest to die in office.
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and Bonar Law each resigned during their respective final illnesses. Law died five months after his resignation, but Campbell-Bannerman lived only another 19 days, dying at 10 Downing Street, the only Prime Minister ever to do so. Others who died within the same year they were Prime Minister were the Duke of Portland who died in 1809, 26 days after he left office and Neville Chamberlain, who died in 1940, six months after he left office, of a cancer that was undiagnosed at the time of his resignation.
Died while immediate successor was in office
Nine Prime Ministers have died while their immediate successor was in office:- The Duke of Portland died during Spencer Perceval's term.
- Sir Robert Peel died during Lord John Russell's first term.
- Lord Aberdeen died during Lord Palmerston's second term.
- Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, died during William Ewart Gladstone's second term.
- William Ewart Gladstone died during Lord Salisbury's third term.
- Lord Salisbury died during Arthur Balfour's term.
- Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman died during H. H. Asquith's term.
- Bonar Law died during Stanley Baldwin's first term.
- Neville Chamberlain died during Winston Churchill's first term.
Married
The longest-married Prime Minister was James Callaghan who was married to his wife Audrey for 66 years from July 1938 until her death on 15 March 2005.Three Prime Ministers married while in office, all to second wives:
- Sir Robert Walpole to Maria Skerrett before 3 March 1738; she died after a miscarriage on 4 June that year, after at least 93 days' marriage, making this the shortest marriage enjoyed by a Prime Minister.
- The Duke of Grafton to Elizabeth Wrottesley on 24 June 1769; she survived him, dying in 1822.
- Lord Liverpool to Lady Mary Chester on 24 September 1822; she survived him.
Widowed
Widowed the longest
- The British Prime Minister widowed the longest is Lord Rosebery who died more than 38 years after his wife.
- Recently, the British Prime Minister widowed the longest is Harold Macmillan, who was widowed from 21 May 1966 to his death on 29 December 1986, a total of over 20 years.
Widowed the shortest
Other widowed Prime Ministers
Divorced
Only three British Prime Ministers have been divorced:- The Duke of Grafton divorced his first wife, Anne, by Act of Parliament passed 23 March 1769, during his term of office, then remarried on 24 June that year to Elizabeth Wrottesley.
- Sir Anthony Eden, divorced his first wife Beatrice in 1950 then remarried two years later to Clarissa Spencer-Churchill on 14 August 1952, before his term of office began.
- Boris Johnson divorced his first wife Allegra Mostyn-Owen in 1993 and remarried to Marina Wheeler two weeks later. In 2018, Johnson and Wheeler had separated and begun the process of divorce.
Bachelors
- Spencer Compton
- William Pitt the Younger
- Arthur Balfour
- Edward Heath
Kindred Prime Ministers
Fathers and Sons
Two sets of father and son have successively held the office:- Lord Chatham and William Pitt the Younger
- George Grenville and Lord Grenville
Brothers
Full cousins
Pitt the Younger and Lord Grenville were the only set of full cousins to hold the office, their fathers being brothers-in-law.Boris Johnson and David Cameron are also distant cousins, through their common ancestor George II of Great Britain
Uncles and Nephews
There have been three blood uncle-nephew sets of Prime Ministers:- Lord Chatham and Lord Grenville
- George Grenville and William Pitt the Younger
- Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury and Arthur Balfour, who succeeded Salisbury in office after the latter's last term. The phrase "Bob's your uncle" is said to have originated in connection with this set, from ministerial promotions Balfour gained under Salisbury.
Great-great-uncle and Great-great-nephew
Father-in-law and Son-in-law
The Duke of Portland, married in 1766 Lady Dorothy Cavendish, daughter of the Duke of Devonshire.Brothers-in-law
- Pitt the Elder was married from 1754 to George Grenville's sister Hester.
- Lord Palmerston was married from 1839 to Lord Melbourne's sister Emily, dowager Countess Cowper.
Uncle-in-law and Nephew-in-law
Great-uncle-in-law and Great-nephew-in-law
was married from 1792 to Anne Pitt, daughter of Thomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford who was a nephew of William Pitt the Elder.Great-great-great-grandfather and Great-great-great-grandson
was the great-great-great-grandson of Lord Grey.Great-great-great-uncle and Great-great-great-nephew
and Alec Douglas-HomeOther connections
The Duke of Devonshire had family connections in different ways with five further Prime Ministers:- Sir Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of OrfordDevonshire's sister Lady Rachel Cavendish was married from 1748 to Horatio Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, whose father, Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole was Robert's brother.
- Lord Shelburne, later Lord Lansdowne, whose great-grandson Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne was father of Lady Evelyn Fitzmaurice who married in 1892 the 4th Duke's great-great-grandson Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire and also became mother-in-law of Harold Macmillan through her daughter Lady Dorothy Macmillan.
- Lord Melbourne, whose brother, George Lamb, married in 1809 Lady Caroline St Jules, daughter of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire and granddaughter of the 4th Duke.
- Lord Russell, later the 1st Earl Russell, who became great-great uncle of Lady Dorothy Macmillan, the wife of Harold Macmillan.
- Harold Macmillan, who married in 1920 Lady Dorothy Cavendish, daughter of the 9th Duke of Devonshire and 3-greats-granddaughter of the 4th Duke.
- Lord Aberdeen, whose first wife, Lady Catherine Hamilton was sister of James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton, who was father of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn who in 1832 married Russell's sister, Lady Louisa Jane Russell.
- Sir Winston Churchill twice:
- * Churchill's paternal great-great grandfather George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough married in 1762 Lady Caroline Russell, daughter of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, who was Lord Russell's paternal grandfather via the 6th Duke of Bedford.
- * Churchill's paternal uncle, George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough, married in 1868 Lady Albertha Hamilton daughter of the above 1st Duke of Abercorn.
The Duke of Wellington and Lord SalisburySalisbury's paternal aunt Lady Georgiana Cecil married Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley, Wellington's brother.
Lord Derby and Lord RoseberyRosebery's son Neil Primrose, married in 1915 Lady Victoria Stanley, daughter of the 17th Earl of Derby and great-granddaughter of the 14th Earl.
Miscellaneous
The Prime Minister who had the most children is Lord Grey, who fathered 17 children.The tallest Prime Minister is believed to be Lord Salisbury, who was around in height, although Downing Street's own website lists James Callaghan as the tallest.
The longest personal name held by a British Prime Minister was that of Lord Derby whose three forenames and double-barreled surnameEdward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanleytotal 32 letters. The shortest baptismal names, each 10 letters long, were held by Lord Bute who was plain John Stuart, and Sir Robert Peel. John Major was baptised "John Roy Major" but his birth certificate simply read "John Major", and so his legal name has only nine letters.
The richest Prime Minister was Lord Derby, with a personal fortune of over £7 million. The poorest was William Pitt the Younger, who was £40,000 in debt by 1800.
Three Prime Ministers ultimately died as a result of accidents:
- Lord Bute on 10 March 1792, aged 78, nearly 29 years after leaving office.
- Sir Robert Peel, on 2 July 1850, aged 62, four years after leaving office.
- Lord Salisbury, on 23 August 1903, aged 73, the year after leaving office.