Third Gladstone ministry

The third Gladstone ministry was one of the shortest-lived ministries in British history. It was led by William Ewart Gladstone of the Liberal Party upon his reappointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by Queen Victoria. It lasted five months until July 1886.

Formation

The Liberal Party under the leadership of William Gladstone came to power in the United Kingdom in February 1886 after they, with the support of the Irish Nationalists, defeated the Conservative government of Lord Salisbury. The ministry was to become one of the most short-lived in British history. Gladstone, aged 76, became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the third time. Sir William Vernon Harcourt became Chancellor of the Exchequer, Hugh Childers Home Secretary and future prime minister the Earl of Rosebery Foreign Secretary. Lord Selborne and Sir Henry James both rejected the Lord Chancellorship, a post, which, however, was accepted by Sir Farrer Herschell, who was ennobled as Baron Herschell. Former Foreign Secretary Lord Granville became Secretary of State for the Colonies, while another political veteran, Lord Kimberley, resumed the post of Secretary of State for India which he had held from 1882 to 1885. The influential Joseph Chamberlain was appointed President of the Local Government Board while future party leader and Prime Minister Henry Campbell-Bannerman was made Secretary of State for War. The government also saw John Morley hold his first ministerial post as Chief Secretary for Ireland.
The ministry is chiefly remembered for Gladstone's first attempt to introduce the Home Rule Bill for Ireland. The bill was defeated by a majority of 30 on 8 June and on 26 June Parliament was dissolved. The issue split the Liberal Party. Lord Hartington, who had refused to serve under Gladstone because of his Irish policies, became leader of the Liberal Unionists. He was joined by Joseph Chamberlain, who had resigned over Home Rule in April.

Fate

The Conservative Party, with the support of the Liberal Unionists, gained a decisive victory in the July 1886 general election, and Lord Salisbury once again became prime minister. The Liberals were to remain out of office until 1892, when Gladstone became prime minister for a fourth time.

Cabinet

February 1886 to August 1886

Changes

April 1886: James Stansfeld succeeds Joseph Chamberlain at the Local Government Board. George Otto Trevelyan leaves the Cabinet. His successor as Secretary for Scotland is not in the Cabinet.

List of ministers

Cabinet members are listed in bold face.

Office	Name	Date
Prime Minister	William Ewart Gladstone	1 February 188620 July 1886
First Lord of the Treasury	William Ewart Gladstone	1 February 188620 July 1886
Leader of the House of Commons	William Ewart Gladstone	1 February 188620 July 1886
Chancellor of the Exchequer	Sir William Vernon Harcourt	6 February 1886
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury	Arnold Morley	6 February 1886
Financial Secretary to the Treasury	Henry Fowler	6 February 1886
Junior Lords of the Treasury	Sir Edward James Reed	13 February 188620 July 1886
Junior Lords of the Treasury	Cyril Flower	13 February 188620 July 1886
Junior Lords of the Treasury	George Leveson-Gower	13 February 188620 July 1886
Lord Chancellor	Sir Farrer Herschell	6 February 1886
Lord President of the Council	John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer	6 February 1886
Lord Privy Seal	William Ewart Gladstone	17 February 1886
Secretary of State for the Home Department	Hugh Childers	6 February 1886
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department	Henry Broadhurst	6 February 1886
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery	6 February 1886
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	James Bryce	7 February 1886
Secretary of State for War	Henry Campbell-Bannerman	6 February 1886
Under-Secretary of State for War	William Mansfield, 1st Viscount Sandhurst	6 February 1886
Financial Secretary to the War Office	Herbert Gladstone	6 February 1886
Surveyor-General of the Ordnance	William Woodall	6 February 1886
Secretary of State for the Colonies and Leader of the House of Lords	Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville	6 February 1886
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies	George Osborne Morgan	6 February 1886
Secretary of State for India	John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley	6 February 1886
Under-Secretary of State for India	Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth	7 February 1886
Under-Secretary of State for India	Stafford Howard	12 April 1886
First Lord of the Admiralty	George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon	9 February 1886
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty	John Tomlinson Hibbert	9 February 1886
Civil Lord of the Admiralty	Robert Duff	15 February 1886
Chief Secretary for Ireland	John Morley	6 February 1886
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland	John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair	8 February 1886
President of the Local Government Board	Joseph Chamberlain	6 February 1886
President of the Local Government Board	James Stansfeld	3 April 1886
Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board	Jesse Collings	6 February 1886
Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board	William Copeland Borlase	3 April 1886
Secretary for Scotland	George Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet\|George Trevelyan]	8 February 1886
Secretary for Scotland	John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie	5 April 1886
President of the Board of Trade	A. J. Mundella	17 February 1886
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade	Charles Dyke Acland, 12th Baronet\|Charles Dyke Acland]	6 February 1886
Vice-President of the Committee on Education	Sir Lyon Playfair	13 February 1886
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	Edward Heneage	6 February 1886
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth	16 April 1886
Paymaster General	Thomas Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 5th Baron Thurlow	3 April 1886
Postmaster-General	George Glyn, 2nd Baron Wolverton	17 February 1886
First Commissioner of Works	Albert Parker, 3rd Earl of Morley	17 February 1886
First Commissioner of Works	Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin	16 April 1886
Attorney General	Sir Charles Russell	9 February 1886
Solicitor General	Sir Horace Davey	16 February 1886
Judge Advocate General	John William Mellor	22 February 1886
Lord Advocate	John Balfour	13 February 1886
Solicitor General for Scotland	Alexander Asher	13 February 1886
Attorney General for Ireland	Samuel Walker, 1st Baronet\|Samuel Walker]	February 1886
Solicitor General for Ireland	Hugh Hyacinth O'Rorke MacDermot	February 1886
Lord Steward of the Household	John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney	10 February 1886
Lord Chamberlain of the Household	Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare	10 February 1886
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household	Frederick Lambert, Viscount Kilcoursie	19 February 1886
Master of the Horse	Richard Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork	10 February 1886
Treasurer of the Household	Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin	17 February 1886
Comptroller of the Household	Edward Marjoribanks	10 February 1886
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms	Charles Hanbury-Tracy, 4th Baron Sudeley	10 February 1886
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard	William Monson, 7th Baron Monson	10 February 1886
Master of the Buckhounds	Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield	17 February 1886
Mistress of the Robes	vacant	—
Lords in Waiting	Frederick Methuen, 2nd Baron Methuen	16 February 188620 July 1886
Lords in Waiting	Thomas Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 5th Baron Thurlow	16 February 188620 July 1886
Lords in Waiting	Francis Stonor, 4th Baron Camoys	16 February 188620 July 1886
Lords in Waiting	Robert Offley Ashburton Milnes, 2nd Baron Houghton	16 February 188620 July 1886
Lords in Waiting	William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington	1 March 188620 July 1886
Lords in Waiting	Henry Tufton, 1st Baron Hothfield	1 March 188620 July 1886
Lords in Waiting	Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale	1 March 188627 March 1886
Extra Lord in Waiting	Mortimer Sackville-West, 1st Baron Sackville	1 October 18761 October 1888

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