Prime Ministers (19th Century), Part 1

Prime Ministers (19th Century) - Part 1

1801-12: Henry Addington, William Pitt the Younger, Lord Grenville, Spencer Perceval

Wasn´t he more than a stand-in for Pitt? The new century began as the old one ended, with William Pitt the Younger heading the government. He was in his 18th year of premiership when he retired all of a sudden on 14th March 1801, after a disagreement with King George III. over "Catholic´s Emancipation". He was replaced by Henry Addington (1757-1844, "Viscount Sidmouth" from 1805 on), who, reportedly, just followed Pitt´s orders. When Addington (on the right, with his signatures as "Henry Addington" and "Sidmouth") started to place more and more of his friends in the government, George III. asked Pitt to take over again. He returned as Prime Minister in 1804, but his health, usually as weak as his Written on 6th December 1805, a few weeks before he died... father´s had been, got worse (especially when Napoleon continued his successful war on continental Europe which seemed to endanger Britain as well) and Pitt died in January 1806, only 46 years old. On the left, you can see Pitt in his later years and his signature on a "third-person"-letter ("Mr. Pitt presents his compliments...") which he wrote a few weeks before he died.

He was followed by Lord His father had been PM already 1763-65 Grenville (1759-1834, a cousin of Pitt), who had been a home-, later foreign-secretary during Pitt´s first premiership already. Grenville (his picture and signature on the left), whose father George Grenville had been one of the lesser successful Prime Ministers (1763-65), wasn´t able to form a stable government, and he was replaced in 1807 by the Perceval in his Prime... Duke of Portland (1738-1809), who had been Prime Minister for a short time in 1783 already (see his signature in the former "chapter"). Portland was an old man by now, and he didn´t make much impression as head of the government until he died.

Spencer Perceval (1762-1812) took over after Portland´s death. He had been the Leader of the Commons His father and Pitt´s mother were brother and sister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer before that and it seemed that he would be able to be a more successful and enduring Prime Minister, but he was shot by a bankrupt broker in the lobby of the House of Commons, th His signature under a letter from 1803... e first and only Prime Minister in British history who was assassinated. On the right, you can see Perceval and his signature on a letter which he wrote in 1803.

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