Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet
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The Right Honourable Sir Robert Peel Bt FRS |
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Detail of a portrait painting by Henry William Pickersgill
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| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
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In office 30 August 1841 – 29 June 1846 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Melbourne |
| Succeeded by | Lord John Russell |
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In office 10 December 1834 – 8 April 1835 |
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| Monarch | William IV |
| Preceded by | The Duke of Wellington |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Melbourne |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
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In office 18 April 1835 – 30 August 1841 |
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| Monarch | William IV Victoria |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Melbourne |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Melbourne |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
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In office 15 December 1834 – 8 April 1835 |
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| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | The Lord Denman |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Spring Rice |
| Home Secretary | |
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In office 26 January 1828 – 22 November 1830 |
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| Prime Minister | The Duke of Wellington |
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Lansdowne |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Melbourne |
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In office 17 January 1822 – 10 April 1827 |
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| Prime Minister | The Earl of Liverpool |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Sidmouth |
| Succeeded by | William Sturges Bourne |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | |
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In office August 1812 – August 1818 |
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| Prime Minister | The Earl of Liverpool |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Mornington |
| Succeeded by | Charles Grant |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
5 February 1788 Bury, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 2 July 1850 (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 |  |
| 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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