# First Russell ministry

Whig Lord John Russell led the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1846 to 1852.

## History

Following the split in the Tory Party over the Corn Laws in 1846 and the consequent end of Sir Robert Peel's second government, the Whigs came to power under Lord John Russell. Sir Charles Wood became Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir George Grey Home Secretary and Lord Palmerston Foreign Secretary for the third time.
One of the major problems facing the government was the Great Irish Famine (1845–1849), which Russell failed to deal with effectively. Another problem was the maverick Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston, who was eventually forced to resign in December 1851 after recognising the coup d'état of Louis Napoleon without first seeking royal approval. He was succeeded by Lord Granville, the first of his three tenures as Foreign Secretary. Palmerston thereafter successfully devoted his energies to bringing down Russell's government, leading to the formation of a minority Conservative government under Lord Derby in February 1852.

## Cabinet
### July 1846 – February 1852

| Office | Name | Term |
| First Lord of the Treasury Leader of the House of Commons | Lord John Russell | July 1846 – February 1852 |
| Lord Chancellor | Charles Pepys, 1st Baron Cottenham | July 1846 – July 1850 |
| | Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro | July 1850 – February 1852 |
| Lord President of the Council Leader of the House of Lords | Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne | July 1846 – February 1852 |
| Lord Privy Seal | Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 2nd Earl of Minto | July 1846 – February 1852 |
| Home Secretary | Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet | July 1846 – February 1852 |
| Foreign Secretary | Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston | July 1846 – December 1851 |
| | Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville | December 1851 – February 1852 |
| Secretary of State for War and the Colonies | Henry Grey, 3rd Earl Grey | July 1846 – February 1852 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Sir Charles Wood | July 1846 – February 1852 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland | July 1846 – January 1849 |
| | Sir Francis Baring | January 1849 – February 1852 |
| President of the Board of Control | Sir John Cam Hobhouse, Bt | July 1846 – February 1852 |
| | Fox Maule | February 1852 |
| President of the Board of Trade | George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon | July 1846 – July 1847 |
| | Henry Labouchere | July 1847 – February 1852 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell of St Andrews | July 1846 – March 1850 |
| | George Howard, 7th Earl of Carlisle | March 1850 – February 1852 |
| First Commissioner of Woods and Forests | George Howard, Baron Morpeth† | July 1846 – July 1850 |
| | Edward Seymour, Baron Seymour | July 1850 – February 1852 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | Henry Labouchere | July 1846 – July 1847 |
| | successor not in cabinet | successor not in cabinet |
| Postmaster General | Ulick John de Burgh, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde | July 1846 – February 1852 |
| Paymaster General | Thomas Babington Macaulay | July 1846 – July 1847 |
| | successor not in cabinet | successor not in cabinet |
| | Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville | 1851‡–December 1851 |
| | successor not in cabinet | successor not in cabinet |
| Secretary at War | Fox Maule | 1851‡–February 1852 |
| | successor not in cabinet | successor not in cabinet |
† became the Earl of Carlisle in 1848 ‡ denotes becoming a member of the cabinet, not gaining the office

#### Notes

* Lord Carlisle served as both Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and First Commissioner of Woods and Forests between March and July 1850.

#### Changes

* July 1847: Henry Labouchere succeeds Lord Clarendon as President of the Board of Trade. Labouchere's successor as Chief Secretary for Ireland is not in the cabinet. Thomas Babington Macaulay leaves the cabinet. His successor as Paymaster-General is not in the Cabinet.
* January 1849: Sir Francis Baring succeeds Lord Auckland as First Lord of the Admiralty
* March 1850: Lord Carlisle succeeds Lord Campbell as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He remains First Commissioner of Woods and Forests
* July 1850: Lord Truro succeeds Lord Cottenham as Lord Chancellor. Lord Seymour succeeds Lord Carlisle as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests. Lord Carlisle remains Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
* 1851: Fox Maule, the Secretary at War, and Lord Granville, the Paymaster-General, enter the Cabinet
* December 1851: Lord Granville succeeds Lord Palmerston as Foreign Secretary. Granville's successor as Paymaster-General is not in the Cabinet
* February 1852: Fox Maule succeeds Sir John Cam Hobhouse as President of the Board of Control. Maule's successor as Secretary at War is not in the Cabinet.

## List of ministers

Cabinet members are listed in bold face.
| Office | Name | Date | Notes |
| Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons | Lord John Russell | 30 June 1846 – 21 February 1852 | The Government resigned 22 February 1851 and resumed 3 March 1851 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Sir Charles Wood, 3rd Baronet | 6 July 1846 | |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | Henry Tufnell | 7 July 1846 | |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | William Goodenough Hayter | July 1850 | |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | John Parker | 7 July 1846 | |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | William Goodenough Hayter | 22 May 1849 | |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | George Cornewall Lewis | 9 July 1850 | |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Hugh Fortescue, Viscount Ebrington | 6 July 1846 – 22 December 1847 | the number of Junior Lordships was reduced from four to three in 1848 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Denis O'Conor | 6 July 1846 – 2 August 1847 | the number of Junior Lordships was reduced from four to three in 1848 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | William Gibson-Craig | 6 July 1846 – 21 February 1852 | the number of Junior Lordships was reduced from four to three in 1848 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Henry Rich | 6 July 1846 – 21 February 1852 | the number of Junior Lordships was reduced from four to three in 1848 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Richard Bellew | 2 August 1847 – 21 February 1852 | the number of Junior Lordships was reduced from four to three in 1848 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl of Shelburne | 22 December 1847 – August 1848 | the number of Junior Lordships was reduced from four to three in 1848 |
| Lord Chancellor | Charles Pepys, 1st Baron Cottenham | 6 July 1846 | |
| Lord Chancellor | in commission | 19 June 1850 | |
| Lord Chancellor | Thomas Wilde, 1st Baron Truro | 15 July 1850 | |
| Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Lords | Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne | 6 July 1846 | |
| Lord Privy Seal | Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 2nd Earl of Minto | 6 July 1846 | |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet | 6 July 1846 | |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Sir William Somerville, 5th Baronet | 5 July 1846 | |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Sir Denis Le Marchant, 1st Baronet | 22 July 1847 | |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | George Cornewall Lewis | 15 May 1848 | |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | 9 July 1850 | |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston | 6 July 1846 | |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville | 26 December 1851 | |
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Edward Stanley | 6 July 1846 | |
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Austen Henry Layard | 12 February 1852 | |
| Secretary of State for War and the Colonies | Henry Grey, 3rd Earl Grey | 6 July 1846 | |
| Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies | Benjamin Hawes | 6 July 1846 | |
| Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies | Frederick Peel | 1 November 1851 | |
| President of the Board of Control | Sir John Hobhouse, 2nd Baronet | 8 July 1846 | |
| President of the Board of Control | Fox Maule | 5 February 1852 | |
| Joint Secretaries to the Board of Control | George Byng | 6 July 1846 – 30 November 1847 | |
| Joint Secretaries to the Board of Control | Thomas Wyse | 6 July 1846 – 26 January 1849 | |
| Joint Secretaries to the Board of Control | George Cornewall Lewis | 30 November 1847 – 16 May 1848 | |
| Joint Secretaries to the Board of Control | James Wilson | 16 May 1848 – 21 February 1852 | |
| Joint Secretaries to the Board of Control | John Elliot | 26 January 1849 – 21 February 1852 | |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland | 7 July 1846 | |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | Sir Francis Baring, 3rd Baronet | 15 January 1849 | |
| First Secretary of the Admiralty | Henry George Ward | 13 July 1846 | |
| First Secretary of the Admiralty | John Parker | 21 May 1849 | |
| Civil Lord of the Admiralty | William Cowper | 7 July 1846 | |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | Henry Labouchere | 6 July 1846 | |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | Sir William Somerville, 5th Baronet | 22 July 1847 | |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough | 8 July 1846 | |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon | 22 May 1847 | |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell | 6 July 1846 | |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | George Howard, 7th Earl of Carlisle | 6 March 1850 | |
| Paymaster General | Thomas Babington Macaulay | 7 July 1846 | |
| Paymaster General | Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville | 8 May 1848 | entered the Cabinet October 1851 |
| Paymaster General | Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley | 12 February 1852 | |
| Postmaster-General | Ulick de Burgh, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde | 7 July 1846 | |
| President of the Board of Trade | George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon | 6 July 1846 | |
| President of the Board of Trade | Henry Labouchere | 22 July 1847 | |
| Vice-President of the Board of Trade | Thomas Milner Gibson | 8 July 1846 | |
| Vice-President of the Board of Trade | Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville | 8 May 1848 | |
| Vice-President of the Board of Trade | Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley | 11 February 1852 | |
| First Commissioner of Woods and Forests | George Howard, Viscount Morpeth | 7 July 1846 | succeeded as 7th Earl of Carlisle 7 October 1848 |
| First Commissioner of Woods and Forests | Edward Seymour, Baron Seymour | 17 April 1849 | office abolished 1 August 1851 |
| First Commissioner of Works | Edward Seymour, Baron Seymour | 1 August 1851 | entered the Cabinet October 1851 |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey | 8 July 1846 | |
| Surveyor-General of the Ordnance | Charles Richard Fox | 8 July 1846 | |
| Clerk of the Ordnance | George Anson | 8 July 1846 | |
| Storekeeper of the Ordnance | Sir Thomas Hastings | 25 July 1845 | continued in office |
| President of the Poor Law Board | Charles Buller | 23 July 1847 | |
| President of the Poor Law Board | Matthew Talbot Baines | 1 January 1849 | |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Poor Law Board | Hugh Fortescue, Viscount Ebrington | 23 July 1847 | |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Poor Law Board | Ralph William Grey | 28 January 1851 | |
| Secretary at War | Fox Maule | 6 July 1846 | |
| Secretary at War | Robert Vernon Smith | 6 February 1852 | |
| Attorney General | Sir Thomas Wilde | 7 July 1846 | |
| Attorney General | Sir John Jervis | 17 July 1846 | |
| Attorney General | Sir John Romilly | 11 July 1850 | |
| Attorney General | Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet | 28 March 1851 | |
| Solicitor General | John Jervis | 7 July 1846 | |
| Solicitor General | Sir David Dundas | 18 July 1846 | |
| Solicitor General | Sir John Romilly | 4 April 1848 | |
| Solicitor General | Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet | 11 July 1850 | |
| Solicitor General | Sir William Page Wood | 28 March 1851 | |
| Judge Advocate General | Charles Buller | 8 July 1846 | |
| Judge Advocate General | William Goodenough Hayter | 22 December 1847 | |
| Judge Advocate General | Sir David Dundas | 26 May 1849 | |
| Lord Advocate | Andrew Rutherfurd | 6 July 1846 | |
| Lord Advocate | James Moncreiff | 7 April 1851 | |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | Thomas Maitland | 6 July 1846 | |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | James Moncreiff | 7 February 1850 | |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | John Cowan | 18 April 1851 | |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | George Deas | 28 June 1851 | |
| Attorney General for Ireland | Richard Moore | 16 July 1846 | |
| Attorney General for Ireland | James Henry Monahan | 21 December 1847 | |
| Attorney General for Ireland | John Hatchell | 23 September 1850 | |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | James Henry Monahan | 16 July 1846 | |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | John Hatchell | 24 December 1847 | |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | Henry George Hughes | 26 September 1850 | |
| Lord Steward of the Household | Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue | 8 July 1846 | |
| Lord Steward of the Household | Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster | 22 March 1850 | |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer | 8 July 1846 | |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane | 5 September 1848 | |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | Lord Edward Howard | 8 July 1846 | |
| Master of the Horse | Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk | 11 July 1846 | |
| Treasurer of the Household | Lord Robert Grosvenor | 3 August 1846 | |
| Treasurer of the Household | Lord Marcus Hill | 23 July 1847 | |
| Comptroller of the Household | Lord Marcus Hill | 6 July 1846 | |
| Comptroller of the Household | William Lascelles | 23 July 1847 | |
| Comptroller of the Household | George Phipps, 2nd Earl of Mulgrave | 23 July 1851 | |
| Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms | Thomas Foley, 4th Baron Foley | 24 July 1846 | |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard | Lucius Cary, 10th Viscount Falkland | 24 July 1846 | |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard | George Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall | 11 February 1848 | |
| Master of the Buckhounds | Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville | 9 July 1846 | |
| Master of the Buckhounds | John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough | 16 May 1848 | |
| Chief Equerry and Clerk Marshal | Lord Alfred Paget | 7 July 1846 | |
| Mistress of the Robes | Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland | 4 July 1846 | |
| Lords in Waiting | Edmund Parker, 2nd Earl of Morley | 24 July 1846 – 21 February 1852 | |
| Lords in Waiting | Henry Reynolds-Moreton, 2nd Earl of Ducie | 24 July 1846 – 1 December 1847 | |
| Lords in Waiting | Henry Cavendish, 3rd Baron Waterpark | 24 July 1846 – 21 February 1852 | |
| Lords in Waiting | Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys | 4 August 1846 – 21 February 1852 | |
| Lords in Waiting | George Douglas, 17th Earl of Morton | 10 September 1841 – 26 June 1849 | |
| Lords in Waiting | John Butler, 2nd Marquess of Ormonde | 10 September 1841 – 21 February 1852 | |
| Lords in Waiting | John Elphinstone, 13th Lord Elphinstone | 1 December 1847 – 21 February 1852 | |
| Lords in Waiting | Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 5th Baron Dufferin and Clandeboye | 26 June 1849 – 21 February 1852 | |