Second Gladstone ministry

{{Use British English|date=December 2012}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}

{{Infobox government cabinet

|incumbent = 1880–1885

|image = William Ewart Gladstone by Elliott & Fry - March 1879.jpg

|caption = Gladstone (1879)

|date_formed = {{Start date|1880|4|23|df=y}}

|date_dissolved = {{End date|1885|6|9|df=y}}

|government_head_title = Prime Minister

|government_head = William Ewart Gladstone

|state_head_title = Monarch

|state_head = Victoria

|former_members_number =

|total_number = 118 appointments

|political_party = Liberal Party

|legislature_status = Majority

|legislature_term = {{Longitem|22nd UK Parliament
lost a vote of confidence}}

|budget =

|election = 1880 general election

|opposition_party = Conservative Party

|opposition_leaders = {{unbulleted list

| {{Longitem|Sir Stafford Northcote
in the House of Commons}}

| Lord Beaconsfield (1880–1881)

| {{Longitem|Lord Salisbury (1881–1885)
in the House of Lords}}

}}

|previous = Second Disraeli ministry

|successor = First Salisbury ministry

|flag=Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (Queen Victoria, lesser arms).svg}}

After campaigning against the foreign policy of the Beaconsfield ministry, William Ewart Gladstone led the Liberal Party to victory in the 1880 general election. The nominal leader of the Party, Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, resigned in Gladstone's favour and Gladstone was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a second time by Queen Victoria. He pursued a policy of parliamentary reform, but his government became wildly unpopular after the death of General Gordon in 1885. Gladstone was held responsible, and resigned, leaving the way free for the Conservatives under Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury to form a government.

Cabinet; April 1880 – June 1885

File:The Cabinet Council, 1883. (BM 1925,0701.129).jpg, published in Vanity Fair, 27 November 1883 ]]

class=wikitable
Office||Name||Term
First Lord of the Treasury
Leader of the House of Commons
William Ewart GladstoneApril 1880 – June 1885
Lord ChancellorRoundell Palmer, 1st Baron SelborneApril 1880 – June 1885
rowspan=2|Lord President of the CouncilJohn Spencer, 5th Earl SpencerApril 1880 – March 1883
Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, 1st Baron CarlingfordMarch 1883 – June 1885
rowspan=3|Lord Privy SealGeorge Campbell, 8th Duke of ArgyllApril 1880 – May 1881
Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, 1st Baron CarlingfordMay 1881 – March 1885
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of RoseberyMarch 1885 – June 1885
Home SecretarySir William HarcourtApril 1880 – June 1885
Foreign Secretary
Leader of the House of Lords
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl GranvilleApril 1880 – June 1885
rowspan=2|Secretary of State for the ColoniesJohn Wodehouse, 1st Earl of KimberleyApril 1880 – December 1882
Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of DerbyDecember 1882 – June 1885
rowspan=2|Secretary of State for WarHugh ChildersApril 1880 – December 1882
Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of HartingtonDecember 1882 – June 1885
rowspan=2|Secretary of State for IndiaSpencer Cavendish, Marquess of HartingtonApril 1880 – December 1882
John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of KimberleyDecember 1882 – June 1885
rowspan=2|Chancellor of the ExchequerWilliam Ewart GladstoneApril 1880 – December 1882
Hugh ChildersDecember 1882 – June 1885
First Lord of the AdmiraltyThomas George Baring, 1st Earl of NorthbrookApril 1880 – June 1885
President of the Board of TradeJoseph ChamberlainApril 1880 – June 1885
rowspan=2|President of the Local Government BoardJohn George DodsonApril 1880 – December 1882
Sir Charles DilkeDecember 1882 – June 1885
rowspan=4|Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterJohn BrightApril 1880 – July 1882
John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of KimberleyJuly 1882 – December 1882
John George DodsonDecember 1882 – October 1884
George Otto TrevelyanOctober 1884 – June 1885
rowspan=2|Postmaster GeneralHenry Fawcett3 May 1880 – 6 November 1884{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}
George John Shaw-Lefevre7 November 1884 – 9 June 1885{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}
rowspan=2|Chief Secretary for IrelandWilliam Edward ForsterApril 1880 – May 1882
colspan=2|successor not in the cabinet
Lord Lieutenant of IrelandJohn Spencer, 5th Earl SpencerApril 1882 – June 1885

{{clear}}

†Created Earl of Selborne in 1882.

= Notes =

{{see also|1885 vote of no confidence in the government of William Ewart Gladstone}}

  • William Gladstone served as both First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer between April 1880 and December 1882.
  • The Earl Spencer served as both Lord President and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland between April 1882 and March 1883.
  • The Earl of Kimberley served as both Colonial Secretary and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster between July and December 1882.
  • The Lord Carlingford served as both Lord Privy Seal and Lord President between March 1883 and March 1885.

= Changes =

  • May 1881: Lord Carlingford succeeds the Duke of Argyll as Lord Privy Seal.
  • April 1882: Earl Spencer becomes Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, but retains his seat in the cabinet and his position as Lord President.
  • May 1882: William Edward Forster resigns as Chief Secretary for Ireland. His successor is not in the cabinet.
  • July 1882: The Earl of Kimberley succeeds John Bright as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster remaining also Colonial Secretary.
  • December 1882: Hugh Childers succeeds William Gladstone as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lord Hartington succeeds Childers as Secretary for War. Kimberley succeeds Hartington as Secretary for India. The Earl of Derby succeeds Kimberley as Colonial Secretary. John George Dodson succeeds Kimberley as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Sir Charles Dilke succeeds Dodson as President of the Local Government Board.
  • March 1883: Carlingford succeeds Spencer as Lord President, remaining also Lord Privy Seal. Spencer remains in the Cabinet as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
  • October 1884: George Otto Trevelyan succeeds Dodson as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
  • March 1885: The Earl of Rosebery succeeds Carlingford as Lord Privy Seal. Carlingford remains Lord President. George John Shaw-Lefevre enters the cabinet as Postmaster-General.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

List of ministers

Cabinet members are listed in bold face.

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

! Office

! Name

! Date

scope=row | Prime Minister,
First Lord of the Treasury
and Leader of the House of Commons

| William Ewart Gladstone

| 23 April 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}9 June 1885

scope=row rowspan=2 | Chancellor of the Exchequer

| William Ewart Gladstone

| 28 April 1880

Hugh Childers

| 16 December 1882

scope=row | Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury

| Lord Richard Grosvenor

| 28 April 1880

scope=row rowspan=3 | Financial Secretary to the Treasury

| Lord Frederick Cavendish

| 28 April 1880

Leonard Courtney

| 8 May 1882

John Tomlinson Hibbert

| 12 December 1884

scope=row rowspan=5 | Junior Lords of the Treasury

| Sir Arthur Hayter

| 5 May 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}26 June 1882

John Holms

| 5 May 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}26 June 1882

Charles Cecil Cotes

| 5 May 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}9 June 1885

Herbert Gladstone

| 24 August 1881{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}9 June 1885

Robert Duff

| 26 June 1882{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}9 June 1885

scope=row | Lord Chancellor

| Roundell Palmer, 1st Baron Selborne{{efn|Created Earl of Selborne on 30 December 1882.}}

| 28 April 1880

scope=row rowspan=2 | Lord President of the Council

| John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer

| 28 April 1880

Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, 1st Baron Carlingford

| 19 March 1883

scope=row rowspan=3 | Lord Privy Seal

| George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll

| 28 April 1880

Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, 1st Baron Carlingford

| 2 May 1881

Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery

| 5 March 1885

scope=row | Secretary of State for the Home Department

| Sir William Vernon Harcourt

| 28 April 1880

scope=row rowspan=5 | Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department

| Arthur Wellesley Peel

| 28 April 1880

Leonard Courtney

| 1 January 1881

Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery

| 8 August 1881

John Tomlinson Hibbert

| 7 June 1883

Henry Fowler

| 12 December 1884

scope=row | Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
and Leader of the House of Lords

| Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville

| 28 April 1880

scope=row rowspan=2 | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

| Sir Charles Dilke, 2nd Baronet

| 28 April 1880

Lord Edmond FitzMaurice

| 1 January 1883

scope=row rowspan=2 | Secretary of State for War

| Hugh Childers

| 28 April 1880

Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington

| 16 December 1882

scope=row | Under-Secretary of State for War

| Albert Parker, 3rd Earl of Morley

| 1 May 1880

scope=row rowspan=2 | Financial Secretary to the War Office

| Henry Campbell-Bannerman

| 28 April 1880

Arthur Hayter

| 13 May 1882

scope=row rowspan=2 | Surveyor-General of the Ordnance

| Sir John Miller Adye

| 1 June 1880

Henry Brand

| 17 January 1882

scope=row rowspan=2 | Secretary of State for the Colonies

| John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley

| 28 April 1880

Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby

| 16 December 1882

scope=row rowspan=3 | Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies

| Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff

| 29 August 1880

Leonard Courtney

| 6 August 1881

Evelyn Ashley

| 12 May 1882

scope=row rowspan=2 | Secretary of State for India

| Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington

| 28 April 1880

John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley

| 16 December 1882

scope=row rowspan=3 | Under-Secretary of State for India

| Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne

| 29 April 1880

George Byng, Viscount Enfield

| 1 September 1880

John Kynaston Cross

| 16 January 1883

scope=row | First Lord of the Admiralty

| Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook

| 28 April 1880

scope=row rowspan=4 | Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty

| George Shaw-Lefevre

| 28 April 1880

George Trevelyan

| 29 November 1880

Henry Campbell-Bannerman

| 10 May 1882

Sir Thomas Brassey

| 23 October 1884

scope=row rowspan=2 | Civil Lord of the Admiralty

| Thomas Brassey

| 12 May 1880

George Wightwick Rendel

| 22 July 1882

scope=row rowspan=4 | Chief Secretary for Ireland

| William Edward Forster

| 30 April 1880

Lord Frederick Cavendish

| 6 May 1882

George Trevelyan

| 9 May 1882

Henry Campbell-Bannerman

| 23 October 1884

scope=row rowspan=2 | Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

| Francis Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper

| 4 May 1880

John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer

| 4 May 1882

scope=row rowspan=4 | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

| John Bright

| 28 April 1880

John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley

| 25 July 1882

John George Dodson

| 28 December 1882

George Trevelyan

| 29 October 1884

scope=row rowspan=2 | President of the Local Government Board

| John George Dodson

| 3 May 1880

Sir Charles Dilke, 2nd Baronet

| 28 December 1882

scope=row rowspan=2 | Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board

| John Tomlinson Hibbert

| 3 May 1880

George W. E. Russell

| 7 June 1883

scope=row rowspan=2 | Postmaster-General

| Henry Fawcett

| 3 May 1880

George Shaw-Lefevre

| 7 November 1884

scope=row | President of the Board of Trade

| Joseph Chamberlain

| 3 May 1880

scope=row rowspan=2 | Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade

| Evelyn Ashley

| 29 April 1880

John Holms

| 15 May 1882

scope=row rowspan=3 | First Commissioner of Works

| William Patrick Adam

| 3 May 1880

George Shaw-Lefevre

| 29 November 1881

Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery

| 13 February 1885

scope=row | Vice-President of the Committee on Education

| A. J. Mundella

| 3 May 1880

scope=row | Paymaster General

| George Glyn, 2nd Baron Wolverton

| 24 May 1880

scope=row | Attorney General

| Sir Henry James

| 3 May 1880

scope=row | Solicitor General

| Sir Farrer Herschell

| 3 May 1880

scope=row | Judge Advocate General

| George Osborne Morgan

| 7 May 1880

scope=row rowspan=2 | Lord Advocate

| John McLaren

| 5 May 1880

John Balfour

| 19 August 1881

scope=row rowspan=2 | Solicitor General for Scotland

| John Balfour

| 6 May 1880

Alexander Asher

| 19 August 1881

scope=row rowspan=5 | Attorney General for Ireland

| Hugh Law

| 10 May 1880

William Moore Johnson

| 17 November 1881

Andrew Marshall Porter

| 3 January 1883

John Naish

| 19 December 1883

Samuel Walker

| 1885

scope=row rowspan=5 | Solicitor General for Ireland

| William Moore Johnson

| 24 May 1880

Andrew Marshall Porter

| 18 November 1881

John Naish

| 9 January 1883

Samuel Walker

| 19 December 1883

Hugh Hyacinth O'Rorke MacDermot

| 1885

scope=row | Lord Steward of the Household

| John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney

| 3 May 1880

scope=row | Lord Chamberlain of the Household

| Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare

| 3 May 1880

scope=row | Vice-Chamberlain of the Household

| Lord Charles Bruce

| 3 May 1880

scope=row | Master of the Horse

| Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster

| 3 May 1880

scope=row | Treasurer of the Household

| Gavin Campbell, 7th Earl of Breadalbane

| 3 May 1880

scope=row | Comptroller of the Household

| William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington

| 3 May 1880

scope=row rowspan=3 | Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms

| Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife

| 3 May 1880

Charles Gordon, 11th Marquess of Huntly

| 21 January 1881

Charles Wynn-Carington, 3rd Baron Carrington

| 27 June 1881

scope=row | Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard

| William Monson, 7th Baron Monson

| 3 May 1880

scope=row | Master of the Buckhounds

| Richard Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork

| 3 May 1880

scope=row rowspan=2 | Mistress of the Robes

| Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Bedford

| 3 May 1880

Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe

| 11 January 1883

scope=row rowspan=12 | Lords in Waiting

| Frederick Methuen, 2nd Baron Methuen

| 10 May 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}9 June 1885

Lawrence Dundas, 3rd Earl of Zetland

| 10 May 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}14 September 1880

William Hare, 3rd Earl of Listowel

| 10 May 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}14 September 1880

Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale

| 10 May 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}9 June 1885

Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 4th Baron Sudeley

| 10 May 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}9 June 1885

Arthur Wrottesley, 3rd Baron Wrottesley

| 10 May 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}9 June 1885

George Byng, Viscount Enfield

| 20 May 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}1 September 1880

George Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington{{efn|name=Perm|Permanent.}}

| 23 June 1859{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}27 April 1884

John William Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie

| 14 September 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}9 June 1885

William Mansfield, 2nd Baron Sandhurst

| 14 September 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}9 June 1885

Thomas Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 5th Baron Thurlow

| 14 September 1880{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}9 June 1885

Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport (1814-1904){{efn|name=Perm}}

| 30 June 1884{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}18 February 1901

scope=row | Extra Lord in Waiting

| Mortimer Sackville-West, 1st Baron Sackville

| 1 October 1876{{Spaced en dash}}{{indent}}1 October 1888

;Notes

{{notelist}}

References

  • {{cite book |first=C. |last=Cook |first2=B. |last2=Keith |title=British Historical Facts 1830–1900 |url=https://archive.org/details/britishhistorica0000cook |url-access=registration |location=London |publisher=Macmillan |year=1975 |isbn=0333132203 }}

Further reading

  • McCarthy, Justin H. England under Gladstone, 1880–1885 (1885).[https://archive.org/details/englandunderglad00mcca/page/n1/mode/2up online]

{{S-start}}

{{Succession box | before=Second Disraeli ministry | title=Government of the United Kingdom | after=First Salisbury ministry | years=1880–1885}}

{{S-end}}

{{British ministries}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gladstone 2}}

Category:British ministries

Government

Category:1880s in the United Kingdom

Category:1880 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:1885 disestablishments in the United Kingdom

Ministry 2

Category:Cabinets established in 1880

Category:Cabinets disestablished in 1885