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

Dick Leonard?s British Prime Ministers from Walpole to Salisbury: The 18th and 19th Centuriessurveys the lives and careers of all the 32 Prime Ministers from Sir Robert Walpole (1721?42) to Archibald Philip Primrose, fifth Earl of Rosebery (1894?95), in 32 succinct, informative and entertaining chapters.

Bringing to life the political achievements and personal idiosyncrasies of Britain's rulers over the 18th and 19th centuries, the author recounts the circumstances which took them to the pinnacle of British political life, probes their political and personal strengths and weaknesses, assesses their performance in office and asks what lasting influence they have had. Along the way Leonard entertains and informs, revealing little-known facts about the private lives of each of the Prime Ministers, such as who was suspected to be an illegitimate half-brother of George III, who was assassinated in the House of Commons, and who spent his evenings prowling the streets of London, trying to "reform" prostitutes.

This book can also form part of a two-volume set published by Routledge including the companion volume Modern British Prime Ministers from Balfour to Johnson.

This book will be of key interest to scholars, students and readers of British political history, the Executive, government and British politics.

Introduction: The Road to the Prime Ministership PART I: The 18th Century 1. Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford: "All these men have their price" 2. Spencer Compton, 1st 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, 4th Duke of Devonshire: "I have no motive but the King’s service" 6. John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute: The King’s "dearest friend" 7. George Grenville: Able Premier, undermined by his own prolixity 8. Charles Wentworth-Watson, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham: The conscience of the Whigs 9. William Pitt, the Elder, 1st Earl of Chatham: "I am sure that I can save this country, and that nobody else can" 10. Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton: Well-intentioned dilettante 11. Frederick North, styled Lord North: Outstanding parliamentarian, pity about the colonies… 12. William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne: Intellectual in Politics 13. William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland: Twice a figurehead 14. William Pitt, the Younger: Reformer Turned Reactionary? PART II: The 19th Century 15. Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth: Better than his Reputation? 16. William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville: Not Quite 'All the Talents' 17. Spencer Perceval: Struck Down in his Prime 18. Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool: Keeping the Show on the Road 19. George Canning: In the Footsteps of Pitt 20. Frederick John Robinson, Viscount Goderich, 1st Earl of Ripon: Inadequate Stopgap 21. Arthur Wesley (Wellesley), 1st Duke of Wellington: Military Hero, Political Misfit? 22. Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey: In the Footsteps of Fox 23. William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne: Mentor to a Young Monarch 24. Sir Robert Peel: Arch Pragmatist or Tory Traitor? 25. Lord John Russell, 1st Earl Russell: From Whig to Liberal 26. Edward Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby: 'The Brilliant Chief, Irregularly Great' 27. George Hamilton Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen: Failure or Scapegoat? 28. Henry John Temple, 3rd 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, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury: Skilful Opponent of Reform 32. Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery: Seeking 'the Palm without the Dust'

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.