Premiership of Spencer Perceval
|
The Right Honourable Spencer Perceval KC |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
|
In office 4 October 1809 – 11 May 1812 |
|
| Monarch | George III |
| Regent | The Prince of Wales (1811–1812) |
| Preceded by | The Duke of Portland |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Liverpool |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
|
In office 26 March 1807 – 11 May 1812 |
|
| Prime Minister |
The Duke of Portland Himself |
| Preceded by | Lord Henry Petty |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Vansittart |
| Leader of the House of Commons | |
|
In office April 1807 – 11 May 1812 |
|
| Prime Minister |
The Duke of Portland Himself |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Howick |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Castlereagh |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | |
|
In office 1807–1812 |
|
| Prime Minister |
The Duke of Portland Himself |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Derby |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Buckinghamshire |
|
Member of Parliament for Northampton |
|
|
In office 1796–1812 |
|
| Preceded by | Charles Compton |
| Succeeded by | Spencer Compton |
| Solicitor General for England and Wales | |
|
In office 1801–1802 |
|
| Prime Minister | Henry Addington |
| Preceded by | Sir William Grant |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Manners-Sutton |
| Attorney General for England and Wales | |
|
In office 1802–1806 |
|
| Prime Minister |
Henry Addington William Pitt the Younger |
| Preceded by | Sir Edward Law |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Piggott |
| First Lord of the Treasury | |
|
In office 4 October 1809 – 11 May 1812 |
|
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | The Duke of Portland |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Liverpool |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1 November 1762 Mayfair, Middlesex, Great Britain |
| Died | 11 May 1812 (aged 49) Westminster, Middlesex, United Kingdom |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Political party | Tory |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Wilson (m. 1790) |
| Children | 13, including Spencer and John |
| Parents |
John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont Catherine Compton, Baroness Arden |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Signature |  |
Spencer Perceval, KC, PC (1 November 1762 – 11 May 1812) was a British statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1809 until his assassination in 1812. Perceval is the only British prime minister to have been murdered. He was also the only Solicitor General or Attorney General to become Prime Minister.
The younger son of an Irish earl, Perceval was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He studied Law at Lincoln's Inn, practised as a barrister on the Midland circuit and in 1796 became a King's Counsel before entering politics aged 33 as a Member of Parliament for Northampton. A follower of William Pitt, Perceval always described himself as a "friend of Mr Pitt" rather than a Tory. Perceval was opposed to Catholic emancipation and reform of Parliament; he supported the war against Napoleon and the abolition of the slave trade. He was opposed to hunting, gambling and adultery, did not drink as much as most members of Parliament at the time, gave generously to charity, and enjoyed spending time with his thirteen children.
After a late entry into politics, his rise to power was rapid; he was solicitor and then attorney general in the Addington ministry, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons in the Portland ministry, and became Prime Minister in October 1809. At the head of a weak ministry, Perceval faced a number of crises during his term in office including an inquiry into the Walcheren expedition, the madness of King George III, economic depression and Luddite riots. He overcame these crises, successfully pursued the Peninsular War in the face of opposition defeatism, and won the support of the Prince Regent. His position was looking stronger by the spring of 1812, when he was assassinated by a merchant with a grievance against his government, who shot him dead in the lobby of the House of Commons.
...
Wikipedia