Prime Ministers in History

So far 51 lucky men - and one woman - have had the honour of being called Prime Minister.

Since Sir Robert Walpole in 1721 an extraordinary range of characters have been handed the keys to Number 10 to take on a role which has changed in that time as much as the country itself.

But in the early days holding the post of PM was seen as anything other than a privilege.

Indeed, in 1761 the concept of having one senior minister in charge of government was described as an 'odious' idea, denoting special royal favour and access. The term 'prime minister' didn't even come into common usage until just a century ago.

In this section we look at PMs who have been successful or infamous, short-lived failures or history makers - examining their upbringing, career, family life and eventual demise, with a look at the memorable quotations and quirky facts for which they will be remembered.

And for the first time we also focus on the spouses who - in most cases at least - provided the invaluable support needed when you're the most famous person in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

We have listed the PMs in chronological order of the date they first took office, although it is worth noting that many men have taken on the role on several different occasions.

There have also been a few periods - mostly of just hours or days - where there was no-one officially in charge of the country. These times are explored more under The Missing Days.

Don't forget to look at Prime Ministerial Record Breakers for lots more facts, quotes and unusual anecdotes about the residents of Number 10. We also have a new section detailing the history of 10 Downing Street, one of the world's most-famous addresses.

The biography for current PM Tony Blair can be found in the Prime Minister area of the site.

Make sure you see our other fascinating history sections

• History of 10 Downing Street
• Prime Ministerial Record Breakers

Eighteenth Century Prime Ministers, period of office and political party

• Sir Robert Walpole 1721-42 Whig
• Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington 1742-3 Whig
• Henry Pelham 1743-54 Whig
• Thomas Pelham-Holles, Duke of Newcastle 1754-6 and 1757-62 Whig
• William Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire 1756-7 Whig
• John Stuart, Earl of Bute 1762-3 Tory
• George Grenville 1763-5 Whig
• Charles Wentworth, Marquess of Rockingham 1765-6 1782 Whig
• The Earl of Chatham, William Pitt 'The Elder' 1766-8 Whig
• Augustus Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton 1768-70 Whig
• Lord North 1770-82 Tory
• William Petty, Earl of Shelburne 1782-3 Whig
• William Bentinck, Duke of Portland 1783 and 1807-9 Whig

Nineteeth Century Prime Ministers, period of office and political party

• William Pitt 'The Younger' 1783-1801 and 1804-6 Tory
• Henry Addington 1801-4 Tory
• William Wyndam Grenville, Lord Grenville 1806-7 Whig
• Spencer Perceval 1809-12 Tory
• Robert Banks Jenkinson, Earl of Liverpool 1812-27 Tory
• George Canning 1827 Tory
• Frederick Robinson, Viscount Goderich 1827-8 Tory
• Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington 1828-30 Tory
• Earl Grey 1830-34 Whig
• William Lamb, Viscount Melbourne 1834 and 1835-41 Whig
• Sir Robert Peel 1834-5 and 1841-6 Tory
• Earl Russell 1846-51 1865-6 Liberal
• The Earl of Derby 1852, 1858-9 and 1866-8, Conservative
• Earl of Aberdeen 1852-5 Tory
• Viscount Palmerston 1855-8 and 1859-65 Liberal
• Benjamin Disraeli 1868 and 1874-80 Conservative
• William Ewart Gladstone 1868-74, 1880-85, 1886 and 1892-94 Liberal
• Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury 1885-6, 1886-92 and 1895-1902 Conservative
• The Earl of Rosebery 1894-5 Liberal

Twentieth Century Prime Ministers, period of office and political party

• Arthur James Balfour 1902-5 Conservative
• Henry Campbell-Bannerman 1905-8 Liberal
• Herbert Henry Asquith 1908-16 Liberal
• David Lloyd George 1916-22 Liberal
• Andrew Bonar Law 1922-3 Conservative
• Stanley Baldwin 1923, 1924-9, 1935-7 Conservative
• James Ramsay MacDonald 1924 and 1929-35 Labour
• Arthur Neville Chamberlain 1937-40 Conservative
• Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill 1940-5 and 1951-5 Conservative
• Clement Richard Attlee 1945-51 Labour
• Anthony Eden 1955-7 Conservative
• Harold Macmillan 1957-63 Conservative
• Sir Alec Douglas-Home 1963-4 Conservative
• Harold Wilson 1964-70 and 1974-6 Labour
• Edward Heath 1970-4 Conservative
• James Callaghan 1976-9 Labour
• Margaret Thatcher 1979-90 Conservative
• John Major 1990-97 Conservative

Extra information

• The Missing Days
• Sources for this section
• Tony Blair's biography