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Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

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Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
File:Salisbury wiki.jpg
Terms of Office: July, 1885 - February, 1886
August, 1886 - August, 1892
June, 1895 - July, 1902
PM Predecessors: William Gladstone
Lord Rosebery
PM Successors: William Gladstone
Lord Rosebery
Arthur James Balfour
Date of Birth: 3 February 1830
Place of Birth: Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Political Party: Conservative

Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (February 3, 1830- August 22, 1903). Also known as Lord Robert Cecil (before 1865) and Viscount Cranborne (1865-1868). British statesman and Prime Minister.

Lord Robert Cecil was the second son of the 2nd Marquess of Salisbury. After an unhappy childhood, in which he studied at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, he went into politics, entering the House of Commons as a Conservative in 1853.

In 1857, Cecil married Georgina Alderson, a woman of low social standing, in spite of his father's objections. The marriage proved a happy one, producing five sons and two daughters. In 1866 Cecil, now called Viscount Cranborne (due to the death of his older brother), entered the third government of Lord Derby as Secretary of State for India, but resigned the next year over the Reform Bill, which he opposed.

In 1868, on the death of his father, the new Marquess of Salisbury was raised to the House of Lords.

He returned to government again in 1874, serving once again as India Secretary in the government of Benjamin Disraeli. Gradually, Salisbury developed a good relationship with Disraeli, whom he had previously disliked and distrusted, at least partially due to the latter's Jewish origins. In 1878, Salisbury succeeded Lord Derby (son of the Prime Minister) as Foreign Secretary, in time to help lead Britain to "peace with honor" at the Congress of Berlin. For this he was rewarded with the Order of the Garter.

Following Disraeli's death in 1881, the Conservatives entered a period of turmoil. Salisbury became the leader of the Conservative members of the House of Lords though the overall leadership of the party was not formally allocated and so he struggled with the Commons leader Sir Stafford Northcote, a struggle in which Salisbury eventually emerged as the leading figure to become Prime Minister of a minority administration from 1885 to 1886. Although he was unable to accomplish much in this administration, due to his tenuous command over the Commons, the split of the Liberals over Irish Home Rule in 1886 enabled him to return to power with a parliamentary majority, and, with a short break (1892-1895) to serve as Prime Minister throughout the period from 1886 to 1902.

Salisbury's expertise was in foreign affairs, and uncharacteristically, for most of his time as Prime Minister he served not as First Lord of the Treasury, the traditional position held by the Prime Minister, but as Foreign Secretary. In that capacity, he skillfully managed Britain's foreign affairs, famously pursuing a policy of "Glorious Isolation," while at home he staunchly opposed Irish Home Rule. Among the important events of his premierships was the Partition of Africa, culminating in the Fashoda Crisis and the Boer War.

On July 11, 1902, Salisbury resigned from office due to ill health. He was succeeded by his nephew, Arthur James Balfour. Salisbury was the last peer to serve as Prime Minister, with the brief exception of the 14th Earl of Home who renounced his peerage within a few days of being appointed.

Lord Salisbury's First Government, July 1885 - February 1886

Changes

Lord Salisbury's Second Government, August 1886 - August 1892

Changes

Lord Salisbury's Third Government, June 1895 - July 1902

Changes

November, 1900 - Complete reorganization of the ministry:

Preceded by:
The Earl of Ripon 		Secretary of State for India
1866-1867 		Followed by:
Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt
Preceded by:
The Duke of Argyll 		Secretary of State for India
1874-1878 		Followed by:
The Viscount Cranbrook
Preceded by:
The Earl of Derby 		Foreign Secretary
1878-1880 		Followed by:
The Earl Granville
Preceded by:
The Earl of Beaconsfield 		Leader of the British Conservative Party
1881-1902
Co-equal with Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt to 1885, then alone
1881-1902 		Followed by:
Arthur James Balfour
Preceded by:
William Ewart Gladstone 		Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1885-1886 		Followed by:
William Ewart Gladstone
Preceded by:
The Earl Granville 		Foreign Secretary
1885-1886 		Followed by:
The Earl of Rosebery
Preceded by:
William Ewart Gladstone 		Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1886-1892 		Followed by:
William Ewart Gladstone
Preceded by:
William Ewart Gladstone 		First Lord of the Treasury
1886-1887 		Followed by:
William Henry Smith
Preceded by:
The Earl of Iddesleigh 		Foreign Secretary
1887-1892 		Followed by:
The Earl of Rosebery
Preceded by:
The Earl of Rosebery 		Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1895-1902 		Followed by:
Arthur James Balfour
Preceded by:
The Earl of Kimberley 		Foreign Secretary
1895-1900 		Followed by:
The Marquess of Lansdowne
Preceded by:
The Viscount Cross 		Lord Privy Seal
1900-1902 		Followed by:
The Marquess of Londonderry
Preceded by:
James Gascoyne-Cecil 		Marquess of Salisbury Followed by:
James Gascoyne-Cecil
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