Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
Edward Smith-Stanley redirects here; for other persons with that name, see Edward Stanley, Lord Stanley |
Arms of Edward Smith-Stanley |
Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby,
KG,
PC (
29 March 1799–
23 October 1869) was a
British statesman, three times
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and is to date the longest serving leader of the
Conservative Party. He was known before
1834 as
Edward Stanley, and from
1834 to
1851 as
Lord Stanley.
Stanley was born to
Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby and Charlotte Margaret Hornby, daughter of Reverend Geoffrey Hornby, and was educated at
Eton and
Christ Church, Oxford. He was elected to Parliament as a
Whig in
1820. When the Whigs returned to power in
1830, Stanley became
Chief Secretary for Ireland in
Lord Grey's Government, and entered the Cabinet in
1831. In
1833, Stanley moved up to the more important position of
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. Stanley, a conservative Whig, broke with the ministry over the disestablishment of the
Church of Ireland in
1834, and resigned from the government.
Joining the Conservatives, Stanley again served as Colonial Secretary in
Sir Robert Peel's second government in
1841. In
1844 he was summoned to the
House of Lords in his father's
Baron of Stanley by Writ of Acceleration. In
1845, he again broke with his Prime Minister, this time over the repeal of the
Corn Laws, and managed to bring the majority of the Conservative party with him, (including, among others, the young
Benjamin Disraeli). He thereafter led the protectionist rump of the Conservative Party. In
1851 he succeeded his father as Earl of Derby.
In February
1852, following the collapse of the Whig Government of
Lord John Russell, Derby formed a minority Government, the member of which who would gain most future prominence was Disraeli as
Chancellor of the Exchequer. With many former Conservative ministers having followed Peel, Derby was forced to appoint many new men to office — of the Cabinet only three were pre-existing
Privy Counsellors. It is said that when the aged
Duke of Wellington heard the list of ministers being read out in the House of Lords he kept asking "Who? Who?" and this has led the government to be labelled the "
Who? Who? Ministry".
Traditionally Derby is regarded as a weak Prime Minister whose ministries were dominated by Disraeli, however recent research suggests that this was not always the case. In the area of foreign policy, Disraeli proved highly marginal, with Derby and his
Foreign Secretaries Lord Malmesbury and later his son
Lord Stanley between them pursuing a course of action that was aimed at building up power through financial strength, seeking to avoid wars at all costs, cooperating with any other powers as needs be and working through the
Concert of Europe to resolve problems. This contrasted heavily with the policy of military strength and prestige that Disraeli would later pursue, but during the Derby ministries it was the driving thinking on foreign policy and could be argued to be the precursor of the "
splendid isolation" and the diplomatic settlement of Europe pursued by later Conservatives in the late
19th century and the
1930s respectively.
Derby and Disraeli were unable to achieve a parliamentary majority, however, and the government collapsed in December of the same year, making way for a
Peelite-Whig coalition under
Lord Aberdeen.
In
1858, Derby formed another minority government upon the collapse of
Lord Palmerston's first government, with Disraeli again at the Exchequer and Leader of the Commons. Among the notable achievements of this administration were the end of the
British East India Company following the
Sepoy Mutiny, which brought India under direct British control for the first time. Once again, the government was short-lived, collapsing after only a year.
Derby returned to power for the last time in
1866, following the collapse of
Lord Russell's second government. Once again, Disraeli was the leading figure. This administration was particularly notable for the passage of the
Reform Act of 1867, which greatly expanded the
suffrage. In early 1868, Derby retired from political life, leaving Disraeli to succeed him.
Although noted as a great orator, Derby was frequently criticized for his languid leadership. Nevertheless, he had many significant achievements, both as minister and Prime Minister, and is considered to be the father of the modern Conservative Party. His tenure as undisputed leader of the party lasted for 22 years - to date the all time record for the party.
His first son was
Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby.
*
First Derby Ministry (1852)
*
Second Derby Ministry (1858–1859)
*
Third Derby Ministry (1866–1868)
