Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

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Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Style Mrs. Cameron
Residence 10 Downing Street
Inaugural holder Catherine, Lady Walpole
Formation 30 April 1789
Website number10.gov.uk

The Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the wife or husband of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. To date there have been 44 women and one man who have been married to British Prime Ministers whilst in office. The United Kingdom has also had four bachelor and several widower Prime Ministers, the last bachelor being Edward Heath, and the last widower being Ramsay MacDonald, besides one, the Duke of Grafton, who was divorced while in office.

Living spouses of Prime Ministers

File:Caroline shorter - pierwsza zona Walpole'a..jpg
Catherine, Lady Walpole

The spouse of the current Prime Minister is Samantha Cameron, wife of David Cameron and is also the youngest prime ministerial spouse to enter Downing Street since Clarissa Eden, when Anthony Eden took office in 1955. There are currently five living spouses of former Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom:

Role and duties

The role of the Prime Ministerial Consort is not an official office and as such they are not given a salary or official duties. Some spouses, such as Norma Major, have chosen to remain very much in the background, although over time the position has evolved and others, such as Cherie Blair, have gained public attention through their own independent careers and achievements, as well as attending engagements such as the African First Ladies Summit.[1] The role also includes playing hostess at 10 Downing Street during state visits and ceremonial functions. Samantha Cameron hosted a street party at Downing Street to celebrate the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The Prime Minister's consort has gained more media attention over time especially concerning fashion and when attending functions such as national conference and at summit meetings, and though their role is not official, staff are appointed to help who form part of the Prime Minister's Office. Isabel Spearman is the current adviser to the wife of the Prime Minister.

Cherie Blair, with Cate Haste, wrote a book about recent Prime Ministerial spouses, The Goldfish Bowl: Married to the Prime Minister, 1955–1997, in 2005.[2]

List of spouses of British Prime Ministers

Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, wife of Sir Winston Churchill
Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham, wife of Pitt the Elder and mother of Pitt the Younger
Catherine Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington, wife of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Sir Denis Thatcher, Bt., then spouse of Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, the only male spouse of a Prime Minister to date
Cherie Blair
File:Sarah Brown 2008.jpg
Sarah Brown
Prime Minister Term Spouse Notes
Sir Robert Walpole
The Earl of Orford (1742)		 4 April 1721 – 20 August 1737 Lady Walpole
(Catherine Shorter)		 Walpole's first wife, she died in 1737.
20 August 1737 – c. 3 March 1738 None Widower
c. 3 March – 4 June 1738 Lady Walpole
(Maria Skerrett)		 Walpole's second wife, she died in childbirth in 1738.
4 June 1738 – 11 February 1742 None Widower
The Earl of Wilmington 16 February 1742 – 2 July 1743 None Bachelor:
Lord Wilmington never married.
Henry Pelham 27 August 1743 – 6 March 1754 Lady Catherine Pelham
(Lady Catherine Manners)
The Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 16 March 1754 – 16 November 1756 The Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
(Lady Harriet Godolphin)
The Duke of Devonshire 16 November 1756 – 25 June 1757 None Widower:
Devonshire's wife, the Marchioness of Hartington (Lady Charlotte Boyle), had died in 1754.
The Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 2 July 1757 – 26 May 1762 The Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
(Lady Harriet Godolphin)
The Earl of Bute 26 May 1762 – 16 April 1763 The Countess of Bute
(Mary Wortley Montagu)
George Grenville 16 April 1763 – 13 July 1765 Mrs. Grenville
(Elizabeth Wyndham)		 Mother of William, Lord Grenville
The Marquess of Rockingham 13 July 1765 – 30 July 1766 The Marchioness of Rockingham
(Mary Bright)
William Pitt the Elder
The Earl of Chatham (1766)		 30 July 1766 – 14 October 1768 Mrs. Pitt
(Hester Grenville)
The Countess of Chatham (1766)		 Mother of William Pitt the Younger.
The Duke of Grafton 14 October 1768 – 23 March 1769 The Duchess of Grafton
(Anne Liddell) later The Countess of Upper Ossory		 Grafton's first wife, lived apart and divorced 23 March 1769. She remarried 26 March 1769 to the 2nd Earl of Upper Ossory, by whom she already had a child.
23 March - 24 June 1769 None Divorcee
24 June 1769 - 28 January 1770 The Duchess of Grafton
(Elizabeth Wrottesley)		 Grafton's second wife, married 24 June 1769.
Lord North
later The Earl of Guilford		 28 January 1770 – 22 March 1782 Lady North
(Anne Speke)
later The Countess of Guilford
The Marquess of Rockingham 27 March – 1 July 1782 The Marchioness of Rockingham
(Mary Bright)
The Earl of Shelburne
later The Marquess of Lansdowne		 4 July 1782 – 2 April 1783 The Countess of Shelburne
(Lady Louisa FitzPatrick)
later The Marchioness of Lansdowne		 Shelburne's second wife.
The Duke of Portland 2 April – 19 December 1783 The Duchess of Portland
(Lady Dorothy Cavendish)		 Daughter of The Duke of Devonshire
William Pitt the Younger 19 December 1783 – 14 March 1801 None Bachelor:
Pitt the Younger never married.
Henry Addington
later The Viscount Sidmouth		 17 March 1801 – 10 May 1804 Mrs. Addington
(Ursula Hammond)
later The Viscountess Sidmouth
William Pitt the Younger 10 May 1804 – 23 January 1806 None Bachelor:
Pitt the Younger never married.
The Lord Grenville 11 February 1806 – 31 March 1807 The Lady Grenville
(Anne Pitt)
The Duke of Portland 31 March 1807 – 4 October 1809 None Widower:
Portland's wife, The Duchess of Portland (Lady Dorothy Cavendish), had died in 1794.
Spencer Perceval 4 October 1809 – 11 May 1812 Mrs. Perceval
(Jane Wilson)
The Earl of Liverpool 8 June 1812 – 12 June 1821 The Countess of Liverpool
(Lady Louisa Hervey)		 Liverpool's first wife, she died in 1821.
12 June 1821 – 24 September 1822 None Widower
24 September 1822 – 9 April 1827 The Countess of Liverpool
(Mary Chester)		 Liverpool's second wife.
George Canning 10 April – 8 August 1827 Mrs. Canning
(Joan Scott)
later The Viscountess Canning
The Viscount Goderich
later The Earl of Ripon		 31 August 1827 – 21 January 1828 The Viscountess Goderich
(Lady Sarah Hobart)
later The Countess of Ripon
The Duke of Wellington 22 January 1828 – 16 November 1830 The Duchess of Wellington
(Catherine Pakenham)
The Earl Grey 22 November 1830 – 9 July 1834 The Countess Grey
(Mary Ponsonby)
The Viscount Melbourne 16 July – 14 November 1834 None Widower:
Lord Melbourne's wife, Lady Caroline Lamb (Lady Caroline Ponsonby), had died in 1828.
The Duke of Wellington 14 November – 10 December 1834 None Widower:
Wellington's wife, The Duchess of Wellington (Catherine Pakenham), had died in 1831.
Sir Robert Peel, Bt. 10 December 1834 – 8 April 1835 Lady Peel
(Julia Floyd)
The Viscount Melbourne 18 April 1835 – 30 August 1841 None Widower:
Lord Melbourne's wife, Lady Caroline Lamb (Lady Caroline Ponsonby), had died in 1828.
Sir Robert Peel, Bt. 30 August 1841 – 29 June 1846 Lady Peel
(Julia Floyd)
Lord John Russell
later The Earl Russell		 30 June 1846 – 21 February 1852 Lady John Russell
(Lady Frances Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound)
later The Countess Russell		 Russell's second wife.
The Earl of Derby 23 February – 17 December 1852 The Countess of Derby
(Emma Bootle-Wilbraham)
The Earl of Aberdeen 19 December 1852 – 30 January 1855 The Countess of Aberdeen
(Harriet Douglas)
formerly The Viscountess Hamilton		 Aberdeen's second marriage, and the Countess' second marriage.
The Viscount Palmerston 6 February 1855 – 19 February 1858 The Viscountess Palmerston
(Emily Lamb)
formerly The Countess Cowper		 The Viscountess' second marriage. Sister of The Viscount Melbourne.
The Earl of Derby 20 February 1858 – 11 June 1859 The Countess of Derby
(Emma Bootle-Wilbraham)
The Viscount Palmerston 12 June 1859 – 16 October 1865 The Viscountess Palmerston
(Emily Lamb)
formerly The Countess Cowper
The Earl Russell 29 October 1865 – 26 June 1866 The Countess Russell
(Lady Frances Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound)
The Earl of Derby 28 June 1866 – 25 February 1868 The Countess of Derby
(Emma Bootle-Wilbraham)
Benjamin Disraeli 27 February – 1 December 1868 Mrs. Disraeli
(Mary Anne Evans)
formerly Mrs. Wyndham Lewis
The Viscountess Beaconsfield in her own right (1868)		 Mrs. Disraeli's second marriage.
William Ewart Gladstone 3 December 1868 – 17 February 1874 Mrs. Gladstone
(Catherine Glynne)
Benjamin Disraeli
The Earl of Beaconsfield (1876)		 20 February 1874 – 21 April 1880 None Widower:
Disraeli's wife, The Viscountess Beaconsfield, had died in 1872.
William Ewart Gladstone 23 April 1880 – 9 June 1885 Mrs. Gladstone
(Catherine Glynne)
The Marquess of Salisbury 23 June 1885 – 28 January 1886 The Marchioness of Salisbury
(Georgina Alderson)
William Ewart Gladstone 1 February – 20 July 1886 Mrs. Gladstone
(Catherine Glynne)
The Marquess of Salisbury 25 July 1886 – 11 August 1892 The Marchioness of Salisbury
(Georgina Alderson)
William Ewart Gladstone 15 August 1892 – 2 March 1894 Mrs. Gladstone
(Catherine Glynne)
The Earl of Rosebery 5 March 1894 – 22 June 1895 None Widower:
Lord Rosebery's wife, The Countess of Rosebery (Hannah de Rothschild), had died in 1890.
The Marquess of Salisbury 25 June 1895 – 20 November 1899 The Marchioness of Salisbury
(Georgina Alderson)		 Lady Salisbury died in 1899.
20 November 1899 – 11 July 1902 None
Arthur Balfour
later The Earl of Balfour		 11 July 1902 – 5 December 1905 None Bachelor:
Arthur Balfour never married.
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman 5 December 1905 – 30 August 1906 Lady Campbell-Bannerman
(Charlotte Bruce)		 Lady Campbell-Bannerman died in 1906.
30 August 1906 – 3 April 1908 None Widower
Herbert Henry Asquith
later The Earl of Oxford and Asquith		 5 April 1908 – 5 December 1916 Mrs. Asquith
(Margot Tennant)
later The Countess of Oxford and Asquith		 Asquith's second wife.
David Lloyd George
later The Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor		 6 December 1916 – 19 October 1922 Mrs. Lloyd George
(Margaret Owen)
Dame Margaret Lloyd George (1920)		 Created Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1920.
Andrew Bonar Law 23 October 1922 – 20 May 1923 None Widower:
Bonar Law's wife, Mrs. Law (Annie Robley), had died in 1909.
Stanley Baldwin 23 May 1923 – 16 January 1924 Mrs. Baldwin
(Lucy Ridsdale)
Ramsay MacDonald 22 January – 4 November 1924 None Widower:
MacDonald's wife, Mrs. McDonald (Margaret Gladstone), had died in 1911. Their daughter Ishbel MacDonald acted as hostess during MacDonald's term.
Stanley Baldwin 4 November 1924 – 5 June 1929 Mrs. Baldwin
(Lucy Ridsdale)
Ramsay MacDonald 5 June 1929 – 7 June 1935 None Widower:
MacDonald's wife, Mrs. McDonald (Margaret Gladstone), had died in 1911. Their daughter Ishbel MacDonald acted as hostess during MacDonald's term.
Stanley Baldwin
later The Earl Baldwin of Bewdley		 7 June 1935 – 28 May 1937 Mrs. Baldwin
(Lucy Ridsdale)
later Dame Lucy Baldwin,
The Countess Baldwin of Bewdley		 Created Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1937.
Neville Chamberlain 28 May 1937 – 10 May 1940 Mrs. Chamberlain
(Anne de Vere Cole)
Winston Churchill 10 May 1940 – 27 July 1945 Mrs. Churchill
(Clementine Hozier)
Clement Attlee
later The Earl Attlee		 27 July 1945 – 26 October 1951 Mrs. Attlee
(Violet Millar)
later The Countess Attlee
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill (1953)		 26 October 1951 – 6 April 1955 Dame Clementine Churchill
(Clementine Hozier)
Lady Churchill (1953)
later The Baroness Spencer-Churchill in her own right (1965)		 Created Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1946.
Sir Anthony Eden
later The Earl of Avon		 6 April 1955 – 9 January 1957 Lady Eden
(Clarissa Spencer-Churchill)
later The Countess of Avon		 Eden's second wife.
Harold Macmillan
later The Earl of Stockton		 11 January 1957 – 19 October 1963 Lady Dorothy Macmillan
(Lady Dorothy Cavendish)
Sir Alec Douglas-Home
The Earl of Home (until 1963)
later The Lord Home of the Hirsel		 20 October 1963 – 16 October 1964 Lady Douglas-Home
(Elizabeth Alington)
The Countess of Home (until 1963)
later The Lady Home of the Hirsel		 For the first three days of his premiership, Alec Douglas-Home was the 14th Earl of Home until he renounced his peerages, and Elizabeth was The Countess of Home.
Harold Wilson 16 October 1964 – 19 June 1970 Mrs. Wilson
(Mary Baldwin)
Edward Heath
later Sir Edward Heath		 19 June 1970 – 4 March 1974 None Bachelor:
Edward Heath never married.
Harold Wilson
later The Lord Wilson of Rievaulx		 4 March 1974 – 5 April 1976 Mrs. Wilson
(Mary Baldwin)
later The Lady Wilson of Rievaulx
James Callaghan
later The Lord Callaghan of Cardiff		 5 April 1976 – 4 May 1979 Mrs. Callaghan
(Audrey Moulton)
later The Lady Callaghan of Cardiff
Margaret Thatcher
later The Baroness Thatcher		 4 May 1979 – 28 November 1990 Mr. Thatcher
(Denis Thatcher)
later Sir Denis Thatcher, Bt.		 First male spouse. Mr. Thatcher's second marriage. The Baronetcy of Thatcher of Scotney was awarded to him in 1990.
John Major
later Sir John Major		 28 November 1990 – 2 May 1997 Mrs. Major
(Norma Johnson)
later Dame Norma Major,
Lady Major		 Created Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1999
Tony Blair 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007 Mrs. Blair
(Cherie Booth)
Gordon Brown 27 June 2007 – 11 May 2010 Mrs. Brown
(Sarah Jane Macaulay)
David Cameron 11 May 2010 – Mrs. Cameron
(Samantha Sheffield)

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/02/michelle-obama-laura-bush-africa
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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