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Robert Peel

The Right Honourable
Sir Robert Peel
Bt FRS
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Bt by Henry William Pickersgill-detail.jpg
Detail of a portrait painting by Henry William Pickersgill
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office
30 August 1841 – 29 June 1846
Monarch Victoria
Preceded by The Viscount Melbourne
Succeeded by Lord John Russell
In office
10 December 1834 – 8 April 1835
Monarch William IV
Preceded by The Duke of Wellington
Succeeded by The Viscount Melbourne
Leader of the Opposition
In office
18 April 1835 – 30 August 1841
Monarch William IV
Victoria
Preceded by The Viscount Melbourne
Succeeded by The Viscount Melbourne
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office
15 December 1834 – 8 April 1835
Prime Minister Himself
Preceded by The Lord Denman
Succeeded by Thomas Spring Rice
Home Secretary
In office
26 January 1828 – 22 November 1830
Prime Minister The Duke of Wellington
Preceded by The Marquess of Lansdowne
Succeeded by The Viscount Melbourne
In office
17 January 1822 – 10 April 1827
Prime Minister The Earl of Liverpool
Preceded by The Viscount Sidmouth
Succeeded by William Sturges Bourne
Chief Secretary for Ireland
In office
August 1812 – August 1818
Prime Minister The Earl of Liverpool
Preceded by The Earl of Mornington
Succeeded by Charles Grant
Personal details
Born (1788-02-05)5 February 1788
Bury, Lancashire, England
Died 2 July 1850(1850-07-02) (aged 62)
Westminster, Middlesex, England
Nationality British
Political party Tory/Conservative/Peelite
Spouse(s) Julia Floyd (m. 1820)
Children Julia
Robert
Frederick
William
John
Arthur
Eliza
Alma mater Christ Church, Oxford
Religion Christianity (Anglican)
Signature Cursive signature in ink
Military service
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1820
Rank Lieutenant
Unit Staffordshire Yeomanry

Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, FRS, PC (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), a British statesman and member of the Conservative Party, served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) and twice as Home Secretary (1822–1827 and 1828–1830). He is regarded as the father of the modern British policing and as one of the founders of the modern Conservative Party.

The son of wealthy textile-manufacturer and politician Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet, he was educated at Bury Grammar School, Hipperholme Grammar School and Harrow School, subsequently earning a double first in classics and mathematics from Christ Church, Oxford. He entered the House of Commons in 1809 under the tutelage of his father and of Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington. Peel was widely seen as a "rising star" in the Conservative Party and served in various junior ministerial offices, becoming (for example) Chief Secretary for Ireland (1812–1818) and Chairman of the Bullion Committee.

Peel entered the Cabinet for the first time as Home Secretary (1822–1827), where he reformed and liberalised the criminal law and created the modern police force, leading to a new type of officer known in tribute to him as "bobbies" and "peelers". He cut tariffs to stimulate trade; to replace the lost revenue he pushed through a 3% income tax (1842). He played a central role in making free trade a reality (1840s) and set up a modern banking system. After the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, the Earl of Liverpool, Peel resigned as Home Secretary, but after a brief period out of office he returned as Home Secretary under his political mentor the Duke of Wellington (1828–1830), also serving as Leader of the House of Commons. Initially a supporter of legal discrimination against Catholics, Peel eventually supported the repeal of the Test Act (1828) and the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, claiming that "though emancipation was a great danger, civil strife was a greater danger".


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