Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby led the "Who? Who?" ministry, a short-lived British Conservative government which was in power for a matter of months in 1852. Lord Derby was Prime Minister and Benjamin Disraeli served as Chancellor of the Exchequer. It marked the first time the protectionist wing of the Conservative Party had taken office since the Corn Laws schism of 1846. It is also called the First Derby–Disraeli ministry.

Early in 1852 Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, by then very deaf, gave Derby's first government its nickname by shouting "Who? Who?" as the list of inexperienced cabinet ministers was read out in the House of Lords.

History

After the fall of Lord John Russell's Whig government in early 1852, the Conservative leader Lord Derby formed a government. The Conservatives had been weakened by the defection of the Peelites, and many of the new Cabinet ministers were men of little experience. The government became known as the "Who? Who?" Ministry after Wellington's comments, due to the lack of prominence of its ministers. The government was in a significant minority, and lasted less than a year, collapsing in December. The Whigs and Peelites then formed a coalition government under the Peelite leader Lord Aberdeen.

Though the government had little impact, it attracted derision through its plethora of new political names, which demonstrated the relative inexperience of the party. Only four members of the Cabinet (Derby himself, St Leonards, Lonsdale, and Herries) were existing Privy Councillors and many others were complete political unknowns.

Cabinet

Office Minister Tenure First Lord of the TreasuryLeader of the House of Lords Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby February–December 1852 Lord Chancellor Edward Burtenshaw Sugden, 1st Baron St Leonards February–December 1852 Lord President of the Council William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale February–December 1852 Lord Privy Seal James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury February–December 1852 Home Secretary Spencer Horatio Walpole February–December 1852 Foreign Secretary James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury February–December 1852 Secretary of State for War and the Colonies Sir John Pakington, 1st Baronet February–December 1852 First Lord of the Admiralty Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland February–December 1852 President of the Board of Control John Charles Herries February–December 1852 Chancellor of the ExchequerLeader of the House of Commons Benjamin Disraeli February–December 1852 President of the Board of Trade J. W. Henley February–December 1852 First Commissioner of Works Lord John Manners February–December 1852 Postmaster-General Charles Philip Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke February–December 1852

List of ministers Cabinet members are listed in bold face.

Office Minister Tenure Notes Prime Minister,First Lord of the Treasuryand Leader of the House of Lords Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby 23 February 1852 – 17 December 1852   Chancellor of the Exchequerand Leader of the House of Commons Benjamin Disraeli 27 February 1852   Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury William Forbes Mackenzie 2 March 1852   Financial Secretary to the Treasury George Alexander Hamilton 2 March 1852   Junior Lords of the Treasury Richard Temple-Grenville, Marquess of Chandos 28 February 1852 – 17 December 1852  Lord Henry Lennox 28 February 1852 – 17 December 1852 Thomas Bateson 28 February 1852 – 17 December 1852 Lord Chancellor Edward Sugden, 1st Baron St Leonards 27 February 1852   Lord President of the Council William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale 27 February 1852   Lord Privy Seal James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury 27 February 1852   Secretary of State for the Home Department Spencer Horatio Walpole 27 February 1852   Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department Sir William Joliffe, 1st Baronet 27 February 1852   Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs James Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury 27 February 1852   Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Lord Edward Stanley 18 May 1852   Secretary of State for War and the Colonies Sir John Pakington, 1st Baronet 17 February 1852   Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies John Cuffe, 3rd Earl of Desart 2 March 1852   First Lord of the Admiralty Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland 28 February 1852   First Secretary of the Admiralty Augustus Stafford 3 March 1852   Civil Lord of the Admiralty Arthur Duncombe 28 February 1852   President of the Board of Control J. C. Herries 28 February 1852   Joint Secretaries to the Board of Control Henry Baillie 1 March 1852 – 17 December 1852  Charles Bruce 1 March 1852 – 17 December 1852 Postmaster-General Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke 1 March 1852   President of the Board of Trade J. W. Henley 17 February 1852   Vice-President of the Board of Trade Charles Edward Abbot, 2nd Baron Colchester 27 February 1852   First Commissioner of Works Lord John Manners 4 March 1852   Chief Secretary for Ireland Richard Bourke, Baron Naas 1 March 1852   Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton 1 March 1852   Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Robert Adam Christopher 1 March 1852   Master-General of the Ordnance Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge 1 March 1852   Lord Fitzroy Somerset 30 September 1852 created Lord Raglan 20 October 1852 Surveyor-General of the Ordnance George Berkeley 18 June 1852   Clerk of the Ordnance Francis Plunkett Dunne 5 March 1852   Storekeeper of the Ordnance Thomas Hastings 25 July 1845 continued in office Paymaster General Charles Abbot, 2nd Baron Colchester 28 February 1852   President of the Poor Law Board Sir John Trollope, 7th Baronet 1 March 1852   Parliamentary Secretary to the Poor Law Board Frederick Knight 3 March 1852   Secretary at War William Beresford 28 February 1852   Attorney General Frederic Thesiger 27 February 1852   Solicitor General Fitzroy Kelly 27 February 1852   Judge Advocate General George Bankes 28 February 1852   Lord Advocate Adam Anderson 28 February 1852  John Inglis 19 May 1852 Solicitor General for Scotland John Inglis 28 February 1852  Charles Neaves 24 May 1852 Attorney General for Ireland Joseph Napier February 1852   Solicitor General for Ireland James Whiteside February 1852   Lord Steward of the Household James Graham, 4th Duke of Montrose 27 February 1852   Lord Chamberlain of the Household Brownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter 27 February 1852   Vice-Chamberlain of the Household Orlando Bridgeman, Viscount Newport 5 March 1852   Master of the Horse George Child-Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey 1 March 1852   Treasurer of the Household Lord Claud Hamilton 27 February 1852   Comptroller of the Household George Weld-Forester 27 February 1852   Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms John Montagu, 7th Earl of Sandwich 27 February 1852   Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard Lord William FitzGerald-de Ros 27 February 1852   Master of the Buckhounds James St Clair-Erskine, 3rd Earl of Rosslyn 28 February 1852   Chief Equerry and Clerk Marshal Lord Charles Colville of Culross 28 February 1852   Mistress of the Robes Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl 16 March 1852   Lords in Waiting George Douglas, 17th Earl of Morton 2 March 1852 – 17 December 1852  James Grimston, 2nd Earl of Verulam 2 March 1852 – 17 December 1852 Cornwallis Maude, 3rd Viscount Hawarden 2 March 1852 – 17 December 1852 George Monckton-Arundell, 6th Viscount Galway 2 March 1852 – 17 December 1852 Edward Crofton, 2nd Baron Crofton 2 March 1852 – 17 December 1852 Henry Hepburne-Scott, 7th Lord Polwarth 2 March 1852 – 17 December 1852 Henry Chetwynd-Talbot, 3rd Earl Talbot 2 March 1852 – 17 December 1852

References

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

External links