List of United Kingdom Whig and allied party leaders 1801-1859

This article provides a list of United Kingdom Whig and allied party leaders from 1801 to 1859. During the 19th century, the Whigs, Radicals and Peelites gradually evolved into the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party was formally eatablished in 1859 and continued to exist until it merged with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to create the Liberal Democrats.

When the United Kingdom came into existence, on 1 January 1801, the era of disciplined mass parties had not yet begun. Although individuals and families regarded themselves as belonging to a Whig or Tory tradition, actual political allegiance tended to be to family connections and to factions grouped behind a prominent political leader. Most of these loose associations of politicians, after the disappearance of almost any party bonds by about 1760, contained members from both Whig and Tory traditions.

In the first decade of the 19th century most politicians realigned themselves into fairly cohesive Whig and Tory parties. Thereafter individuals and groups might move between the two parties, but they both maintained a continuous existence (through a number of mergers and name changes). These two groups were the direct ancestors of the 21st century Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties.

There were several stages in the consolidation of the parties.

Until 1801: Prime Minister William Pitt the younger had the support of most of the House of Commons., The Pittite coalition of Tories and pro-government Whigs had supported the minister through the Revolutionary Wars with France.

The principal opposition to Pitt was the relatively weak faction of Whigs, led by Charles James Fox. For four years after 1797 opposition attendance at Westminster had been sporadic as Fox pursued a strategy of secession from Parliament. Only a small group, led by George Tierney, had attended frequently to oppose the ministers. As Foord observes "only once did the minority reach seventy-five, and it was often less than ten".

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