Prime Minister (19th Century), Part 3

1830-52: Earl Grey, the Viscount Melbourne, Robert Peel, Lord Russell

The new king, William IV., asked The tea-flavour was named after him, still popular today...a Whig to form the new government, the 2nd Earl Grey (Charles Grey, His son, the 3rd Earl, was a secretary under Palmerston later.1764-1845). After several attempts to introduce parliamental reforms that would please the Commons and the Lords as well, he was successful in 1832. With these reforms, the danger of a revolution was history. During his leadership, several more Act´s were introduced, like the "Factory Act", which limited the working hours for children in factories.

A quarrel regarding the Church of Ireland was the reason that Grey had to retire in 1834, and the King His wife had an affair with author Lord Byron... asked Viscount Melbourne (1779-1848) to head a new government. He wasn´t very ambitious but tried his best. Nevertheless, William IV. dismissed the Whig-government after a few months (even though the Whigs A member of parliament since 1809held a majority in the "House of Commons"), and a Tory became the next Prime Minister, Robert Peel (1788-1850). He had already been home-secretary under Wellington (and re-organized the police-system in London; the British policemen are nick-named "Bobbies" after him until this day), but after a few months, he saw that it wasn´t possible for him to head a government that belonged to the minority. Peel was replaced in April 1835 by Melbourne, who was more successful this time with his politics. In 1837, when 18 year-old Victoria became Queen, he became her He was thrown from his horse and died four days later mentor and fatherly friend. Melbourne´s wife and daughter died very earlyPeel was back again to replace Melbourne in 1841 and "invented" income-tax the next year.

(Pictures and signatures of Melbourne on the left, Peel on the right)

The third son of the 6th Duke of Bedford, he remained "just" Lord RussellThe conservative party was split in 1846 once again when they couldn´t agree how to handle the "corn-laws", and Peel was forced to retire. The Queen asked Lord John Russell (1792-1878), who had held several posts in Grey´s and Melbourne´s Whig-governments already, to become the new Prime Minister, which he remained until early 1852.

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