President of the Board of Trade

The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. A committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, it was first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th century that evolved gradually into a government department with diverse functions. The current holder of the post is Jonathan Reynolds, who is concurrently the secretary of state for business, innovation, science and trade.

History

The idea of a Board of Trade was first translated into action by Oliver Cromwell in 1655 when he appointed his son Richard Cromwell to head a body of Lords of the Privy Council, judges and merchants to consider measures to promote trade. Charles II established a Council of Trade on 7 November 1660, followed by a Council of Foreign Plantations on 1 December that year. The two were united on 16 September 1672 as the Board of Trade and Plantations.

After the Board was re-established in 1696, there were 15 (and later 16) members of the Boardthe 7 (later 8) great officers of state, and eight unofficial members, who did the majority of the work. The senior unofficial board member was the board president, commonly known as the first lord of trade. The board was abolished on 11 July 1782, but a Committee of the Privy Council was established on 5 March 1784 for the same purposes. On 23 August 1786, a new committee was set up, more strongly focused on commercial functions than the previous boards of trade. At first, the president of the Board of Trade only occasionally sat in the Cabinet. Still, from the early 19th century, it was usually a cabinet-level position.

In 2020, there was an unusual appointment of a deputy president to assist the president. Still, the holder remained only an adviser to the board. This appears to have been a one-off appointment, and this role no longer exists. However, the president was previously assisted by the vice president.

List of presidents of the Board of Trade

First Lord of Trade (1672–1782) First Lord Term of office Monarch Anthony Ashley Cooper1st Earl of Shaftesbury 1672 1676 Charles II John Egerton3rd Earl of Bridgewater 1695 1699 William III Thomas Grey2nd Earl of Stamford 1699 1702Anne Thomas Thynne1st Viscount Weymouth 1702 1705 Thomas Grey2nd Earl of Stamford 1705 1711 Charles Finch4th Earl of Winchilsea 1711 1713Francis North2nd Baron Guilford17131714George I William Berkeley4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton 1714 1715 Henry Howard6th Earl of Suffolk 1715 1718 Robert Darcy3rd Earl of Holderness 1718 1719 Thomas Fane6th Earl of Westmorland 1719 1735George II Benjamin Mildmay1st Earl FitzWalter 1735 1737 John Monson1st Baron Monson 1737 1748 George Montagu-Dunk2nd Earl of Halifax 1748 1761George III Samuel Sandys1st Baron Sandys 1761 1763 Charles Townshend 1763 1763 William Petty2nd Earl of Shelburne 1763 1763 Wills Hill1st Earl of Hillsborough 1763 1765 William Legge2nd Earl of Dartmouth 1765 1766 Wills Hill1st Earl of Hillsborough 1766 1766 Robert Nugent1st Viscount Clare 1767 1768 Wills Hill1st Earl of Hillsborough 1768 1772 William Legge2nd Earl of Dartmouth 1772 1775 George Germain1st Viscount Sackville 1775 1779 Frederick Howard5th Earl of Carlisle 1779 1780 Thomas Robinson2nd Baron Grantham 1780 1782

President of the Committee on Trade and Foreign Plantations (1784–1786)

President of the Committee Term of office Party Ministry Monarch Thomas Townshend1st Baron Sydney 1784 1786 Whig Pitt IGeorge III

President of the Board of Trade (1786–1963) President of the BoardConstituency Term of office Party Ministry Monarch Charles Jenkinson1st Earl of Liverpool 23 August1786 7 June1804 ToryPitt IGeorge III Addington James Graham3rd Duke of Montrose 7 June1804 5 February1806 Tory Pitt II William Eden1st Baron Auckland 5 February1806 31 March1807 Independent All the Talents Henry Bathurst3rd Earl Bathurst 31 March1807 29 September1812 Tory Portland II Perceval Liverpool Richard Trench2nd Earl of Clancarty 29 September1812 24 January1818 Tory F. J. Robinson 24 January1818 21 February1823 ToryGeorge IV William Huskisson 21 February1823 4 September1827 Tory Canning Charles Grant 4 September1827 11 June1828 Tory Goderich Wellington–Peel William Vesey-FitzGerald 11 June1828 2 February1830 Tory John Charles Herries 2 February1830 22 November1830 ToryWilliam IV George Eden1st Baron Auckland 22 November1830 5 June1834 Whig Grey Melbourne I Charles Poulett Thomson 5 June1834 14 November1834 Whig Alexander Baring 15 December1834 8 April1835 Tory Wellington Caretaker Peel I Charles Poulett Thomson 8 April1835 29 August1839 Whig Melbourne IIVictoria Henry Labouchere 29 August1839 30 August1841 Whig F. J. Robinson1st Earl of Ripon 3 September1841 15 May1843Conservative Peel II William Ewart Gladstone 15 May1843 5 February1845Conservative James Broun-Ramsay10th Earl of Dalhousie 5 February1845 27 June1846Conservative George Villiers4th Earl of Clarendon 6 July1846 22 July1847 Whig Russell I Henry Labouchere 22 July1847 21 February1852 Whig J. W. Henley 27 February1852 17 December1852Conservative Derby–Disraeli I Edward Cardwell 28 December1852 31 March1855Peelite Aberdeen Edward Stanley2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley 31 March1855 21 February1858 WhigPalmerston J. W. Henley 26 February1858 3 March1859Conservative Derby–Disraeli II Richard Hely-Hutchinson4th Earl of Donoughmore 3 March1859 11 June1859Conservative Thomas Milner Gibson 6 July1859 26 June1866 LiberalPalmerston IIRussell III Sir Stafford Northcote, 6 July1866 8 March1867Conservative Derby–Disraeli IIICharles Gordon-Lennox6th Duke of Richmond8 March18671 December1868Conservative John Bright 9 December1868 14 January1871 Liberal Gladstone I Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue 14 January1871 17 February1874 Liberal Sir Charles Adderley 21 February1874 4 April1878Conservative Disraeli II Dudley RyderViscount Sandon 4 April1878 21 April1880Conservative Joseph Chamberlain 3 May1880 9 June1885 Liberal Gladstone II Charles Gordon-Lennox6th Duke of Richmond 24 June1885 19 August1885Conservative Salisbury I Edward Stanhope 19 August1885 28 January1886Conservative A. J. Mundella 17 February1886 20 July1886 Liberal Gladstone III Frederick Stanley1st Baron Stanley of Preston 3 August1886 21 February1888Conservative Salisbury II Sir Michael Hicks Beach, 21 February1888 11 August1892Conservative A. J. Mundella 18 August1892 28 May1894Liberal Gladstone IV James Bryce 28 May1894 21 June1895 Liberal Rosebery Charles Ritchie 29 June1895 7 November1900 Conservative Salisbury III Gerald Balfour 7 November1900 12 March1905 ConservativeSalisbury IV Edward VIIBalfour James Gascoyne-Cecil4th Marquess of Salisbury 12 March1905 4 December1905 Conservative David Lloyd George 10 December1905 12 April1908 LiberalCampbell-Bannerman Winston Churchill 12 April1908 14 February1910 Liberal Asquith I Sydney Buxton 14 February1910 11 February1914 Liberal Asquith II George V Asquith III John Burns 11 February1914 5 August1914 LiberalWalter Runciman5 August19145 December1916 Liberal Asquith Coalition Sir Albert Stanley 10 December1916 26 May1919 Conservative Lloyd George ILloyd George II Sir Auckland Geddes 26 May1919 19 March1920 Conservative Sir Robert Horne 19 March1920 1 April1921 Conservative Stanley Baldwin 1 April1921 19 October1922 Conservative Sir Philip Lloyd-Greame 24 October1922 22 January1924 Conservative LawBaldwin I Sidney Webb 22 January1924 3 November1924LabourMacDonald I Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister 6 November1924 4 June1929 ConservativeBaldwin II William Graham 7 June1929 24 August1931LabourMacDonald II Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister 25 August1931 5 November1931 ConservativeNational I Walter Runciman 5 November1931 28 May1937Liberal NationalNational II Edward VIII George VINational III Oliver Stanley 28 May1937 5 January1940 ConservativeNational IVChamberlain War Sir Andrew Rae Duncan 5 January1940 3 October1940 IndependentChurchill War Oliver Lyttelton 3 October1940 29 June1941 Conservative Sir Andrew Rae Duncan 29 June1941 4 February1942 Independent John Jestyn Llewellin 4 February1942 22 February1942 Conservative Hugh Dalton 22 February1942 23 May1945Labour Oliver Lyttelton 25 May1945 26 July1945 ConservativeChurchill Caretaker Sir Stafford Cripps 27 July1945 29 September1947LabourAttlee I Harold Wilson 29 September1947 23 April1951LabourAttlee II Sir Hartley Shawcross 24 April1951 26 October1951Labour Peter Thorneycroft 30 October1951 13 January1957 ConservativeChurchill III Elizabeth IIEden David Eccles 13 January1957 14 October1959 ConservativeMacmillan I Reginald Maudling 14 October1959 9 October1961 ConservativeMacmillan II Frederick Erroll 9 October1961 20 October1963 Conservative

President of the Board of Trade (1963–present) +President of the BoardTerm of office Concurrent office(s)PartyMinistryMonarchEdward Heath19631964Industry, Trade and Regional Development ConservativeDouglas-Home Elizabeth II Douglas Jay19641967None LabourWilson IWilson IIAnthony Crosland19671969 LabourRoy Mason19691970 LabourMichael Noble19701970 ConservativeHeathJohn Davies19701972Trade and Industry ConservativePeter Walker19721974 ConservativePeter Shore19741976Trade LabourWilson IIIWilson IVEdmund Dell19761978 LabourCallaghanJohn Smith19781979 LabourJohn Nott19791981 ConservativeThatcher IJohn Biffen19811982 ConservativeArthur CockfieldBaron Cockfield19821983 ConservativeCecil Parkinson19831983Trade and Industry ConservativeThatcher IINorman Tebbit19831985 ConservativeLeon Brittan19851986 ConservativePaul Channon19861987 ConservativeDavid YoungBaron Young of Graffham19871989 ConservativeThatcher IIINicholas Ridley19891990 ConservativePeter Lilley19901992 Conservative Conservative Major IMichael Heseltine19921995 ConservativeMajor IIIan Lang19951997 ConservativeMargaret Beckett19971998 LabourBlair IPeter Mandelson19981998 LabourStephen Byers19982001 LabourPatricia Hewitt20012005 Labour Blair IIAlan Johnson20052006 LabourBlair IIIAlistair Darling20062007 LabourJohn Hutton20072008Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform LabourBrown Peter MandelsonBaron Mandelson 2008 2010 LabourBusiness, Innovation and SkillsVince Cable20102015 Liberal Democrats Cameron–CleggSajid Javid20152016 Conservative Cameron IIGreg Clark20162016Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ConservativeMay ILiam Fox20162019International Trade Conservative May IILiz Truss20192021 Conservative Johnson IJohnson IIAnne-Marie Trevelyan20212022 ConservativeKemi Badenoch20222024 ConservativeTruss Charles IIISunakBusiness and Trade Jonathan Reynolds20242025 Labour StarmerPeter Kyle20252026 Jonathan Reynolds2026IncumbentBusiness, Innovation, Science and Trade Burnham

Timeline

Notes

References