British Prime Ministers from Walpole to Salisbury: The 18th and 19th Centuries Volume 1

Introduction: The Road to the Prime Ministership

1. Robert Walpole, 1^st Earl of Orford: "All these men have their price"

2. Spencer Compton, 1^st Earl of Wilmington: "George II’s favourite nonentity"

3. Henry Pelham: Pragmatic heir to Walpole

4. Thomas Pelham-Holles, Duke of Newcastle: Mighty Panjamdrum, feeble Premier

5. William Cavendish, 4^th Duke of Devonshire: "I have no motive but the King’s service"

6. John Stuart, 3^rd Earl of Bute: The King’s "dearest friend"

7. George Grenville: Able Premier, undermined by his own prolixity

8. Charles Wentworth-Watson, 2^nd Marquess of Rockingham: The conscience of the Whigs

9. William Pitt, the Elder, 1^st Earl of Chatham: "I am sure that I can save this country, and that nobody else can"

10. Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3^rd Duke of Grafton: Well-intentioned dilettante

11. Frederick North, styled Lord North: Outstanding parliamentarian, pity about the colonies…

12. William Petty, 2^nd Earl of Shelburne: Intellectual in Politics

13. William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3^rd Duke of Portland: Twice a figurehead

14. William Pitt, the Younger: Reformer Turned Reactionary?

15. Henry Addington, 1^st Viscount Sidmouth: Better than his Reputation?

16. William Grenville, 1^st Baron Grenville: Not Quite 'All the Talents'

17. Spencer Perceval: Struck Down in his Prime

18. Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2^nd Earl of Liverpool: Keeping the Show on the Road

19. George Canning: In the Footsteps of Pitt

20. Frederick John Robinson, Viscount Goderich, 1^st Earl of Ripon: Inadequate Stopgap

21. Arthur Wesley (Wellesley), 1^st Duke of Wellington: Military Hero, Political Misfit?

22. Charles Grey, 2^nd Earl Grey: In the Footsteps of Fox

23. William Lamb, 2^nd Viscount Melbourne: Mentor to a Young Monarch

24. Sir Robert Peel: Arch Pragmatist or Tory Traitor?

25. Lord John Russell, 1^st Earl Russell: From Whig to Liberal

26. Edward Stanley, 14^th Earl of Derby: 'The Brilliant Chief, Irregularly Great'

27. George Hamilton Gordon, 4^th Earl of Aberdeen: Failure or Scapegoat?

28. Henry John Temple, 3^rd Viscount Palmerston: Master Diplomat or Playground Bully?

29. Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield: Climbing 'the Greasy Pole'

30. William Ewart Gladstone: From 'Stern Unbending Tory' to 'The People's William'

31. Robert Cecil, 3^rd Marquess of Salisbury: Skilful Opponent of Reform

32. Archibald Philip Primrose, 5^th Earl of Rosebery: Seeking 'the Palm without the Dust'

Biography

Dick Leonard is a journalist, author and former Labour MP. He was Assistant Editor of The Economist for 12 years, and has also worked for The Observer, the BBC, the Fabian Society, the Centre for European Policy Studies and the Publishers Association.

"A great resource for students, scholars and the general public alike. It contains essential information on the prime ministers as leaders but also as people: how they ended up in the role, their character, achievements and weaknesses … as well as providing fascinating insights into the broader political issues of their time." – Oliver Daddow, University of Nottingham, UK

"Dick Leonard's book on British Prime Ministers is an excellent account of the changing role of the premiership in UK politics, and the twists and turns of political life. The book is of great interest to the general reader, but also a fantastic undergraduate and postgraduate teaching resource." – Patrick Diamond, Queen Mary, University of London, UK

"A terrific read and also a major contribution to public debate." – David Marquand, University of Oxford, UK