Second Disraeli ministry

Beaconsfield ministry
1874–1880
Disraeli as Lord Beaconsfield (1878)
Date formed20 February 1874 (1874-02-20)
Date dissolved21 April 1880 (1880-04-21)
People and organisations
MonarchVictoria
Prime MinisterLord Beaconsfield
Total no. of members108 appointments
Member partyConservative Party
Status in legislatureMajority
Opposition partyLiberal Party
Opposition leaders
History
Election1874 general election
Outgoing election1880 general election
Legislature terms21st UK Parliament
PredecessorFirst Gladstone ministry
SuccessorSecond Gladstone ministry

Benjamin Disraeli was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a second time by Queen Victoria after William Ewart Gladstone's government was defeated in the 1874 general election. Disraeli's foreign policy was seen as immoral by Gladstone, and following the latter's Midlothian campaign, the government was heavily defeated in the 1880 general election, whereupon Gladstone formed his second government. The ailing Disraeli, by now created Earl of Beaconsfield, died in April 1881.

Cabinet

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Portrait of Benjamin Disraeli by John Everett Millais, 1881

February 1874 – April 1880

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Office Name Term
First Lord of the Treasury Benjamin Disraeli† February 1874 – April 1880
Lord Chancellor The Lord Cairns§ February 1874 – April 1880
Lord President of the Council The Duke of Richmond February 1874 – April 1880
Lord Privy Seal The Earl of Malmesbury February 1874 – August 1876
The Earl of Beaconsfield August 1876 – April 1878
The Duke of Northumberland April 1878 – April 1880
Home Secretary Richard A. Cross February 1874 – April 1880
Foreign Secretary The Earl of Derby February 1874 – April 1878
The Marquess of Salisbury April 1878 – April 1880
Secretary of State for the Colonies The Earl of Carnarvon February 1874 – February 1878
Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, Bt February 1878 – April 1880
Secretary of State for War Gathorne Hardy‡ February 1874 – April 1878
Sir Frederick Stanley April 1878 – April 1880
Secretary of State for India The Marquess of Salisbury February 1874 – April 1878
The Viscount Cranbrook April 1878 – April 1880
Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt February 1874 – April 1880
First Lord of the Admiralty George Ward Hunt February 1874 – August 1877
William Henry Smith August 1877 – April 1880
President of the Board of Trade Viscount Sandon April 1878 – April 1880
Postmaster General Lord John Manners February 1874 – April 1880
Chief Secretary for Ireland Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, Bt August 1877 – February 1878
incumbent not in the cabinet
Leader of the House of Commons Benjamin Disraeli February 1874 – August 1876
Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt August 1876 – April 1880
Leader of the House of Lords The Duke of Richmond February 1874 – August 1876
The Earl of Beaconsfield August 1876 – April 1880

† The Earl of Beaconsfield from August 1876.
§ The Earl Cairns from September 1878.
‡ The Viscount Cranbrook from May 1878.

Notes

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  • The Earl of Beaconsfield served as both First Lord of the Treasury and Lord Privy Seal from August 1876 to April 1878.

Changes

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  • August 1876: Beaconsfield succeeds the Earl of Malmesbury as Lord Privy Seal while remaining First Lord of the Treasury.
  • August 1877: George Ward Hunt dies and is succeeded as First Lord of the Admiralty by William Henry Smith. Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, enters the cabinet.
  • February 1878: Sir Michael Hicks-Beach succeeds the Earl of Carnarvon as Colonial Secretary. Hicks-Beach's successor as Chief Secretary for Ireland is not in the cabinet.
  • April 1878: The Duke of Northumberland succeeds Beaconsfield as Lord Privy Seal; the latter remains First Lord of the Treasury. The Marquess of Salisbury succeeds the Earl of Derby as Foreign Secretary. The Viscount Cranbrook succeeds Salisbury at the India Office. Sir Frederick Stanley succeeds Cranbrook at the War Office.

List of ministers

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Cabinet members are listed in bold face.

Office Name Date
Prime Minister
and First Lord of the Treasury 		Benjamin Disraeli[a] 20 February 1874 –
21 April 1880
Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt[b] 21 February 1874
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury William Hart Dyke[c] 21 February 1874
Financial Secretary to the Treasury W. H. Smith 21 February 1874
Frederick Stanley 14 August 1877
Sir Henry Selwin-Ibbetson, Bt 2 April 1878
Junior Lords of the Treasury Viscount Mahon 4 March 1874 –
16 February 1876
Rowland Winn 4 March 1874 –
21 April 1880
Sir James Dalrymple-Horne-Elphinstone, Bt 4 March 1874 –
21 April 1880
Viscount Crichton 16 February 1876 –
21 April 1880
Lord Chancellor The Lord Cairns[d] 21 February 1874
Lord President of the Council The Duke of Richmond[e] 21 February 1874
Lord Privy Seal The Earl of Malmesbury 21 February 1874
Benjamin Disraeli[f] 12 August 1876
The Duke of Northumberland 4 February 1878
Secretary of State for the Home Department R. A. Cross 21 February 1874
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department Sir Henry Selwin-Ibbetson, Bt 25 February 1874
Sir Matthew White Ridley, Bt 6 April 1878
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs The Earl of Derby 21 February 1874
The Marquess of Salisbury 2 April 1878
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Robert Bourke 23 February 1874
Secretary of State for War Gathorne Hardy 21 February 1874
Frederick Stanley 2 April 1878
Under-Secretary of State for War The Earl of Pembroke 2 March 1874
The Earl Cadogan 24 May 1875
Viscount Bury 4 March 1878
Financial Secretary to the War Office Frederick Stanley 26 February 1874
Robert Loyd-Lindsay 13 August 1877
Surveyor-General of the Ordnance Lord Eustace Cecil 26 February 1874
Secretary of State for the Colonies The Earl of Carnarvon 21 February 1874
Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, Bt 4 February 1878
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies James Lowther 25 February 1874
The Earl Cadogan 2 March 1878
Secretary of State for India The Marquess of Salisbury 21 February 1874
The Viscount Cranbrook 2 April 1878
Under-Secretary of State for India Lord George Hamilton 22 February 1874
Edward Stanhope 6 April 1878
First Lord of the Admiralty George Ward Hunt 21 February 1874
W. H. Smith 14 August 1877
Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty Algernon Egerton 21 February 1874
Civil Lord of the Admiralty Sir Massey Lopes, Bt 4 March 1874
Chief Secretary for Ireland Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, Bt[g] 27 February 1874
James Lowther 15 February 1878
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Duke of Abercorn 2 March 1874
The Duke of Marlborough 11 December 1876
Postmaster-General Lord John Manners 21 February 1874
President of the Board of Trade Sir Charles Adderley 21 February 1874
Viscount Sandon 4 April 1878
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade George Cavendish-Bentinck 2 March 1874
Edward Stanhope 18 November 1875
John Gilbert Talbot 4 April 1878
Vice-President of the Committee on Education Viscount Sandon 2 March 1874
Lord George Hamilton 4 April 1878
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Thomas Edward Taylor 2 March 1874
President of the Local Government Board George Sclater-Booth 21 February 1874
Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board Clare Sewell Read 21 February 1874
Thomas Salt January 1876
Paymaster General Stephen Cave 20 April 1874
David Plunket 24 March 1880
First Commissioner of Works Lord Henry Lennox 21 March 1874
Gerard Noel 14 August 1876
Attorney General Sir John Burgess Karslake 27 February 1874
Sir Richard Baggallay 20 April 1874
Sir John Holker 25 November 1875
Solicitor General Sir Richard Baggallay 27 February 1874
Sir John Holker 20 April 1874
Sir Hardinge Giffard 25 November 1875
Judge Advocate General Stephen Cave 7 March 1874
George Cavendish-Bentinck 24 November 1875
Lord Advocate Edward Gordon 26 February 1874
William Watson 21 July 1874
Solicitor General for Scotland John Millar 4 March 1874
William Watson 21 July 1874
John Macdonald 5 December 1876
Attorney General for Ireland John Thomas Ball 12 March 1874
Henry Ormsby 21 January 1875
George Augustus Chichester May 27 November 1875
Edward Gibson 15 February 1877
Solicitor General for Ireland Henry Ormsby 12 March 1874
David Plunkett 29 January 1875
Gerald Fitzgibbon 3 March 1877
Hugh Holmes 14 December 1878
Lord Steward of the Household The Earl Beauchamp 21 February 1874
Lord Chamberlain of the Household The Marquess of Hertford 21 February 1874
The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe 7 May 1879
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household The Viscount Barrington 2 March 1874
Master of the Horse The Earl of Bradford 7 March 1874
Treasurer of the Household Earl Percy 2 March 1874
Lord Henry Thynne 14 December 1875
Comptroller of the Household Lord Henry Somerset 2 March 1874
Earl of Yarmouth 4 February 1879
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms The Marquess of Exeter 2 March 1874
The Earl of Shrewsbury 4 February 1875
The Earl of Coventry 28 May 1877
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard The Lord Skelmersdale 2 March 1874
Master of the Buckhounds The Earl of Hardwicke 2 March 1874
Mistress of the Robes The Duchess of Wellington 2 March 1874
Lords in Waiting The Earl of Dunmore 2 March 1874 –
21 April 1880
The Earl of Roden 2 March 1874 –
6 January 1880
The Viscount Hawarden 2 March 1874 –
21 April 1880
The Lord Bagot 2 March 1874 –
21 April 1880
The Lord de Ros 2 March 1874 –
21 April 1880
The Lord Elphinstone 2 March 1874 –
21 April 1880
The Lord Walsingham 2 March 1874 –
29 May 1875
The Earl of Jersey 29 May 1875 –
4 July 1877
The Lord Henniker 4 July 1877 –
21 April 1880
The Earl of Onslow 17 February 1880 –
21 April 1880
Extra Lord in Waiting The Lord Sackville 1 October 1876 –
1 October 1888
Notes
  1. ^ Created Earl of Beaconsfield 21 August 1876; also Leader of the House of Commons 1874–1876 and Leader of the House of Lords 21 August 1876 – 21 April 1880.
  2. ^ Also Leader of the House of Commons 1876–1880.
  3. ^ Inherited a baronetcy 1875.
  4. ^ Created Earl Cairns on 27 September 1878.
  5. ^ Also Leader of the House of Lords 21 February 1874 – 21 August 1876.
  6. ^ Created Earl of Beaconsfield on 21 August 1876.
  7. ^ Entered the Cabinet 12 August 1876.

References

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C. Cook and B. Keith, British Historical Facts 1830–1900

Preceded by Government of the United Kingdom
1874–1880 		Succeeded by
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