Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby

"Lord Derby" and "The Earl of Derby" redirect here. For other holders of the title, seeEarl of Derby.

Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby(29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869), known asLord Stanleyfrom 1834 to 1851, was a British statesman andConservativepolitician who served three times asPrime Minister of the United Kingdom.To date, he is the longest-servingleader of the Conservative Party(1846–68). He is one of only four British prime ministers to have three or more separate periods in office.However, his ministries each lasted less than two years and totalled three years and 280 days. Derby introduced the state education system in Ireland, and reformed Parliament.

The Right Honourable The Earl of Derby KGGCMGPCPC (Ire)
Derby in 1865
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 28 June 1866 – 25 February 1868
Monarch	Victoria
Preceded by	The Earl Russell
Succeeded by	Benjamin Disraeli
In office 20 February 1858 – 11 June 1859
Monarch	Victoria
Preceded by	The Viscount Palmerston
Succeeded by	The Viscount Palmerston
In office 23 February 1852 – 17 December 1852
Monarch	Victoria
Preceded by	Lord John Russell
Succeeded by	The Earl of Aberdeen
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
In office 3 September 1841 – 23 December 1845
Prime Minister	Sir Robert Peel
Preceded by	Lord John Russell
Succeeded by	William Ewart Gladstone
In office 3 April 1833 – 5 June 1834
Prime Minister	The Earl Grey
Preceded by	The Viscount Goderich
Succeeded by	Thomas Spring Rice
Chief Secretary for Ireland
In office 29 November 1830 – 29 March 1833
Prime Minister	The Earl Grey
Preceded by	Sir Henry Hardinge
Succeeded by	Sir John Hobhouse
Personal details
Born	(1799-03-29)29 March 1799 Knowsley Hall,Knowsley, Lancashire,England
Died	23 October 1869(1869-10-23)(aged 70) Knowsley Hall, Knowsley, Lancashire, England
Political party	Conservative
Other political affiliations	Whig(before 1841)
Spouse	Emma Bootle-Wilbraham ​ ​ (m.1825)​
Children	3, includingEdward Stanley, 15th Earl of DerbyandFrederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby
Parents	Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby Charlotte Margaret Hornby
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford
Signature

Historian Frances Walsh has written that it was Derby:

who educated the party and acted as its strategist to pass the last greatWhigmeasure, the1867 Reform Act.It was his greatest achievement to create the modern Conservative Party in the framework of the Whig constitution, though it wasDisraeliwho laid claim to it.

Scholars long ignored his role but in the 21st century rank him highly among all British prime ministers.

Early life and education

Edward Smith-Stanley was born on 19 March 1799 atKnowsley Hall,Lancashire.He was the eldest son ofEdward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby,and his wife (and first cousin) Charlotte Margaret Hornby. He was educated atEtonand atChrist Church, Oxford.

TheStanley family,originally bearing the surname Audley, rose to prominence in the 15th century after adopting the name from estates inStaffordshireandDerbyshire.Sir John Stanleysolidified the family's influence by acquiringKnowsley Halland during reign ofHenry VII,one of his descendants,Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby,fought at theBattle of Bosworth Fieldafter which the family was ennobled under theTudorsand the Stanleys became one of the wealthiest and most influential noble families.The family fell under hardship during theEnglish Civil Warin whichJames Stanley, 7th Earl of Derbywas executed for his loyalty tothe Crownin 1651 after the Royalist defeat. The family’s fortunes waned even during the Restoration but rebounded economically due to Liverpool estates, with political prominence resuming under Edward Stanley in the 19th century.

Stanley attendedEton Collegebefore moving toChrist Church, Oxfordand was slightly ahead of the groups that were associated with theOxfordandYoung Englandmovements. During his time at Oxford, the intellectual ferment of his later years had not yet begun, and the university, particularly Christ Church, was marked by camaraderie and fair scholarship rather than essential and practical intellectual activity. Christ Church, at the time underDeanCyril Jacksonhad already seen its peak and it was common for students to leave without taking a degree, a path Stanley also followed. However, his academic talent was evident when he won the Chancellor's Prize forLatin poetryin 1819 with a poem on Syracuse. This achievement indicates that he could have excelled academically if he had chosen to pursue honours. His time at Oxford reflected a transitional period in the university’s history, lacking the stimulation that defined later decades.

Early political career, 1822–1852

Member of Parliament

In 1822 Edward Stanley, as he was then, was elected to Parliament in therotten boroughofStockbridgeas aWhig,the traditional party of his family.The seat itself was not attained through a family borough but was sold. Previously, the seatcontrolled by aToryWest Indian merchant who sold it to a Whig peer, which was used to nominate Stanley as a member of theHouse of Commons.Years later, Stanley himself later criticised rotten boroughs, arguing that their representatives, no matter how talented, lacked true legitimacy in the eyes of the people.At the this time, his grandfather,12th Earl of Derby,was serving in theHouse of Lordsand was alive when his grandson quit the Whigs and became a Tory.

Portrait of Lord Derby byFrederick Richard Say

Early in his Parliamentary career, Stanley was noted for wearing the traditional “buff and blue” uniform associated with Whig gentlemen, a style already becoming outdated. In 1824, he undertook a tour ofNorth America,an unusual venture at the time, which reflected on his curiosity and broadening perspective.By 1826, he was elected as the MP forPreston,a seat with family connections but not solely dependent on family influence. Outside politics, he was also known for his passion for sports, a tradition encouraged by his grandfather, who had founded the Oaks horse race.

During the election in Preston in 1826, Stanley received 3,041 votes, defeating his main rival, a Tory Wood, who secured 1,982 votes. Barrie, a naval candidate, polled 1,657 votes, while the prominent radicalWilliam Cobbett,garnered only just 995 votes. Cobbett had been backed by a subscription headed bySir Thomas BeevorofHarghaminNorfolk,aiming to carry Preston, but he finished at the bottom of the poll. Despite their political rivalry, Cobbett rarely made disparaging remarks about Stanley. Stanley, nevertheless, was able to escape the ire of Cobbett's critique by running as a moderate reformist. The election was significant due to the wide franchise in the borough, which was essentially household suffrage, allowing a broad base of electors to cast their votes. Stanley’s victory came amid a competitive contest, where he triumphed with a clear majority.

In the 1820s, the Whigs struggled to hold power and was without a coherent creed or power to implement their policies. For much of their history, they were preoccupied with the issue ofJacobitismand even when that concern faded, they lacked a unified stance. Likewise, the Tories had no strong political doctrine either and was similarly fragmented. In 1821, the Whigs had some common cause with the Tories, particularly on issues like Catholic Emancipation, which had been reaapproached byWilliam Pitt the Younger.In 1824, However, he alienated some of his Whig colleagues by voting againstJoseph Hume's motion for an investigation into the established ProtestantChurch of Ireland.Stanley's speech pushed the principle that no circumstances should justify interference with private property, particularly funded and commercial property. This stance, which was at odds with the Whig party’s more reformist leanings, indicated a clear departure from the Whigs' political ideology.

In government

He lost his seat in 1826. Stanley began to associate with the Tories as the 1820s progressed and in 1827, Stanley joined withGeorge Canningas Under-Secretary for the Colonies, which led to him aligned him more with the Tory cause. He criticised theDuke of WellingtonandSir Robert Peelfor their treatment of Canning as he began to disdain “Tories of the old school.”By the time he publicly rejected Wellington’s government, Stanley had fully embraced a Tory stance, advocating for a stronger, less reformist political position.When the Whigs returned to power in 1830, Stanley becameChief Secretary for IrelandinLord Grey'sGovernment, and entered the Cabinet in 1831. As Chief Secretary Stanley pursued a series of coercive measures which frequently brought him into conflict with theLord Lieutenant of Ireland,Lord Anglesey.In October 1831, Stanley wrote theStanley Letter,toAugustus FitzGerald, 3rd Duke of Leinster,establishing the system of National Education in Ireland. This letter remains today the legal basis for the predominant form of primary education in Ireland.In 1833, Stanley moved up to the more important position ofSecretary of State for War and the Colonies,overseeing the passage of theAbolition of Slavery Bill.

Stanley, a religiously devout Anglican, broke with the ministry over the reform of the AnglicanChurch of Irelandin 1834 and resigned from the government. He then formed a group called the "Derby Dilly"and attempted to chart a middle course between what they saw as the increasinglyradicalWhiggery ofLord John Russelland the conservatism of the Tories. Tory leader SirRobert Peel's turn to the centre with the 1834Tamworth Manifesto,published three days before Stanley's "Knowsley Creed" speech, robbed the Stanleyites of much of the uniqueness of their programme.

Lithographof Derby in 1835

The term "Derby Dilly" was coined by Irish Nationalist leaderDaniel O'Connell.Besides Stanley, the other principal members of the Dilly were SirJames Graham,who had resigned asFirst Lord of the Admiralty;Lord Ripon,who had resigned asLord Privy Seal;and theDuke of Richmond,who had resigned asPostmaster General.These four ministers had come from notably different political backgrounds—Stanley and Graham were old Whigs, Ripon was a formerCanningiteTory prime minister, while Richmond was an arch-conservative Tory who had incongruously found himself in the Grey cabinet.

Although they did not participate in Peel's short-lived1835 ministry,over the next several years they gradually merged into Peel's Conservative Party, with several members of the "Derby Dilly" taking prominent positions inPeel's second ministry.Joining the Conservatives, Stanley again served as Colonial Secretary in Peel's second government in 1841.In 1844 he was summoned to theHouse of Lordsas Lord Stanley of Bickerstaffe in his father'sBarony of Stanleyby aWrit of acceleration.He broke with the Prime Minister again in 1845, this time over the repeal of theCorn Laws,and managed to bring the majority of the Conservative Party with him (including, among others, the youngBenjamin Disraeli). He thereafter led theprotectionistfaction of the Conservative Party. In the House of Lords, on 23 November 1847, he accused the Irish Catholic clergy of using the confessional to encourage lawlessness and crime.This was disputed in a series of letters by the coadjutorBishop of Derry,Edward Maginn.In 1851 he succeeded his father as Earl of Derby.

The party system was in a state of flux when the Conservatives left office in 1846, the outstanding issues being the question of Ireland and the unresolved franchise. The protectionists had a core of leaders, of whom Derby was a leading light.

Premierships, 1852–1869

He is the only modern-era prime minister who never enjoyed a parliamentary majority. In his private diary, theEarl of Malmesburyin 1857 commented on Derby's failure to exploit the press:

Lord Derby has never been able to realise the sudden growth and power of the Political Press, for which he has no partiality, which feeling is reciprocated by its members. In these days this is a fatal error in men who wish to obtain public power and distinction. Lord Derby is too proud a man to flatter anybody, even his greatest friends and equals, much less those of whom he knows nothing.

First government

Further information:Who? Who? ministry

1852 illustration of Derby

Derby formed aminority governmentin February 1852 following the collapse ofLord John Russell's Whig Government. In this new ministry, Benjamin Disraeli was appointedChancellor of the Exchequer.With many senior Conservative ministers having followed Peel, Derby was forced to appoint many new men to the office of the Cabinet, only three were pre-existingPrivy Counsellors.When the agedDuke of Wellington,by then very deaf, heard the list of inexperienced cabinet ministers being read aloud in the House of Lords, he gave the government its nickname by shouting "Who? Who?". From then this government would be known as the "Who? Who?" ministry.

Traditionally Derby's ministries were thought in hindsight to have been dominated by Disraeli. However, recent research suggests that this was not always the case, especially in the government's conduct of foreign policy.There, Derby and hisForeign Secretaries,Lord Malmesburyand later his sonLord Stanley,pursued a course of action that was aimed at building up power through financial strength, seeking to avoid wars at all costs, co-operating with other powers, and working through theConcert of Europeto resolve diplomatic problems. This contrasted sharply with the policy of military strength and prestige that Disraeli would later pursue, and Derby's very different take on foreign policy could be seen as the precursor of "splendid isolation",as well as the diplomatic settlement of Europe pursued by later Conservatives in the late 19th century and the 1930s.

In thegeneral election of June 1852,the Conservative party under Derby and Disraeli won only 330 seats in the House of Commons—42.9% of the total. Although the Whigs actually won fewer seats—292 seats—there were several small groups in Parliament that might be willing to side with the Whigs on particular issues, including the 38 Conservative members of Parliament who werePeelites,who had already joined with the Whigs in June 1846 to repeal theCorn Laws;the 113 members who were Free Traders and who were interested in eliminating all tariffs on consumer goods; and the 63 members of theIrish Brigadewho were interested in the independence of Ireland and Tenant's Rights for Irish tenants.Immediately following the election in June 1852, none of these small groups were willing to work with the Whigs to form a government. Accordingly, the Earl of Derby was invited to form a minority government. Derby did so and appointed Disraeli as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer.

As with all minority governments, Derby's minority government had a difficult time governing. Their main preoccupation was avoiding any issue which might cause any of the government's small components to go over to Whigs and cause a "no confidence" vote. However, the real issues facing Parliament could not be postponed for long, and when Disraeli submitted his first budget to Parliament in December 1852, it proved so unpopular with the Peelites, the Free Traders, and the Irish Brigade that it was voted down in a "no confidence" vote. As a result, Derby's minority government fell, making way for aPeelite–Whig coalitionunderLord Aberdeen.When Aberdeen's administration fell in 1855,Queen Victoriaasked Derby to form a government.Much to the consternation of some sections of his party, including Disraeli, Derby declined this offer, believing that he would be in a position to form a stronger government after a short-lived failed administration led by one of the Conservative Party's rivals such as Lord John Russell orLord Palmerston.

Second government

Further information:Second Derby–Disraeli ministry

Derby in 1861

In 1858, Derby formed another minority government upon the resignation of Lord Palmerston following a parliamentary defeat to an opposition motion which, in the context of a failed plot to assassinateNapoleon IIIof France, charged that "the ministry had admitted they sheltered assassins".Disraeli was again at the Exchequer and Leader of the Commons. Among the notable achievements of this administration was the end of theBritish East India Companyfollowing theIndian Rebellion of 1857,which brought India under direct British control for the first time. Once again the government was short-lived, resigning after only one year, having narrowly lost a vote of no-confidence brought byLord Hartingtonon behalf of various Whig and Radical factions which had coalesced at theWillis's Roomsmeetings inSt James's Streetto mark the birth of theLiberal Party.In July 1859, Derby was appointed aKnight of the Garter.

Back in opposition, Derby pursued a strategy of trying to lure the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, away from his more radical colleagues, Lord John Russell in particular.This tactic was thwarted by Russell's declining influence and by Chancellor of the ExchequerWilliam Ewart Gladstone's 1861 budget which united the cabinet and increased divisions amongst the Conservatives.Palmerston continued as Prime Minister until his death in 1865, when he was succeeded by the ineffective Russell.

Third government

Further information:Third Derby–Disraeli ministry

Derby returned to power for the third and last time in 1866, following the collapse of Lord Russell's second government after its failed attempt at further electoral reform.Once again, Disraeli was a leading figure. This administration was particularly notable for the passage of theReform Act 1867,which greatly expanded the suffrage but which provoked the resignation of three cabinet ministers including the Secretary for India and future three-time Prime Minister,Lord Cranborne(later Lord Salisbury).In early 1868, Derby retired from political life on medical advice, leaving Disraeli to succeed him.In 1869, he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of St Michael and St Georgein recognition of his former role as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.He was appointedHonorary Colonelof the1st Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corpson 10 September 1862, beginning a family connection with the regiment that endured for over 100 years.

A reprint in the AmericanHarper's Weeklymagazine of thethird Derby ministryin 9 February 1867.

Derby's tenure of 22 years as party leader still stands as the longest in Conservative Party history and indeed the history of any other political party in British history. OnlyLabour'sClement Attleecame close, at 20 years.

During Derby's third premiership, afactory Actwas passed in 1866 “dealing with uncleanliness, inadequate ventilation, and overcrowding in factories.” The provisions of this Act were extended to other trades in 1867, and as a result of this Act "1,500,000 women and children were admitted to the benefits of the factory laws." That same year an Act was passed regulating the hours of women workers in every workshop.TheMaster and Servant Act 1867was also introduced during his final term.

Marriage and issue

The Countess of Derby

Stanley marriedThe Hon. Emma Bootle-Wilbraham,the second daughter ofEdward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale,on 31 May 1825. They had six children, half of whom survived to adulthood:

• Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby(21 July 1826 – 21 April 1893), married Lady Mary Sackville-West (daughter of5th Earl De La Warr) on 5 July 1870, without issue
• Ferdinand Charles (26 – 27 July 1829), died in infancy
• Daughter (born and died 3 May 1832), died in infancy
• Lady Emma Charlotte Stanley (25 December 1835 – 23 August 1928). She marriedColonelSirPatrick Chetwynd-TalbotKCB(son ofCharles Chetwynd-Talbot, 2nd Earl Talbot) on 11 October 1860. They had eight children.
• Hon. Charles Stanley (born and died 6 August 1838), died in infancy
• Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby(15 January 1841 – 14 June 1908), married Lady Constance Villiers (daughter ofGeorge Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon) on 31 May 1864. They had ten children.

Death

Lord Derby died at Knowsley Hall on 23 October 1869 at the age of 70. The Countess of Derby died on 26 April 1876.

Legacy

See also:Statue of the Earl of Derby, Parliament Square

Statue in London'sParliament Square

Historian David Cannadine argues:

Although almost entirely forgotten today, Derby was one of the great figures of 19th century British public, social and cultural life: he was a fine debater, a classical scholar of note and a significant patron of the turf; he was also an authentic grandee, with very rich, coal-bearing estates in Lancashire, and leader of the Conservative Party for an unrivaled span of 22 years.

Historian Frances Walsh has written:

Although he was the first politician to become prime minister three times and remains the longest-serving party leader in British history he has not received the recognition one would expect. As a landed aristocrat with Whig antecedents, literary tastes, and a passionate interest in shooting and the turf he seemed to represent an obsolete, amateur tradition in politics, while the mythologizing of Disraeli as the architect of conservative survival and success tended to cast him into the shadows. This neglect was compounded by the absence of an official biography and problems of access to the Derby archives for a century after his death. Recent Studies have done something to redress the balance… It was Derby who educated the party and acted as its strategist to pass the last great Whig measure, the1867 Reform Act.It was his greatest achievement to create the modern Conservative Party in the framework of the Whig constitution, though it was Disraeli who laid claim to it.

TheNational School system in Ireland,the predominant form of primary school education, was unable to sustain themulti-denominational systemset up by Stanley in theStanley Letter.The letter had tried to deal with the seemingly intractable issue of different Christian religions living together in Ireland, but by the end of the century denominational schools had become the norm.

The former site ofFort Langley, British Columbiawas renamedDerbyby theRoyal Engineersin 1858, apparently in honour of the Earl, who was British Prime Minister at the time.Stanley(sometimes referred to as "Port Stanley" ) onEast Falkland,capital of theFalkland Islands,is named after Edward Smith-Stanley as arePort Stanleyin Ontario, Canada (he did not visit his namesake but he had visited nearbyPort Talbot, Ontarioduring his Canadian/American trip in 1824), as well as the areaStanleyin Hong Kong. Stanley was Prime Minister when Queen Victoria openedWellington College,in Berkshire, a tribute to theDuke of Wellington,where the boarding house Stanley is named after him. TheCounty of Stanley, Queensland,Australia, is named after the Earl. Notably, it contains the important Australian city ofBrisbane.

A library book about Smith-Stanley titledThe Earl of Derby,written byGeorge Saintsburyand published in 1892, was borrowed from the Newtown Library inWellington,New Zealand, in March 1902 and returned in August 2020 (118 years later) after being discovered in Sydney, Australia. The book was described as being "in OK condition".

See also

• English translations of Homer § Derby
• List of statues and sculptures in Liverpool

Further reading

• Blake, Robert "The 14th Earl of Derby"History Today(Dec 1955) 5#12 pp 850–859.
• Foster, R. E. "A Life In The Political Centre: The 14Th Earl Of Derby."History Review64 (2009): 1–6.
• Hawkins, Angus. "Lord Derby and Victorian Conservatism: a Reappraisal."Parliamentary History6.2 (1987): 280–301.
• Hawkins, Angus (2007).The Forgotten Prime Minister – The 14th Earl of Derby Volume I Ascent: 1799–1851.New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN9780199204403.online review of Hawkins vol 1
  • Hawkins, Angus.The Forgotten Prime Minister: The 14th Earl of Derby: Volume II: Achievement, 1851–1869(Vol. 2. Oxford University Press, 2007).
• Hawkins, Angus. "A Host in Himself: Lord Derby and Aristocratic Leadership."Parliamentary History22.1 (2003): 75–90.
• Hicks, Geoffrey.Peace, war and party politics: the Conservatives and Europe, 1846–59(Manchester UP, 2007).
• Jones, Wilbur.Lord Derby and Victorian Conservatism(1956).
• Leonard, Dick. "Edward Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby—‘The Brilliant Chief, Irregularly Great’." in Leonard,Nineteenth-Century British Premiers(2008) pp. 217-231.
• Stewart, Robert.The Politics of Protection: Lord Derby and the Protectionist Party, 1841–1852(Cambridge UP, 1971).
• Ward, J. T. "Derby and Disraeli" in Donald Southgate, ed.The Conservative Leadership 1832–1932(1974)online
• Saintsbury, George (1906).The Earl of Derby.London: J.M. Dent.

Primary sources

• Hicks, Geoff, et al. eds.Documents on Conservative Foreign Policy, 1852-1878(2013), 550 documentsexcerpt

External links

• Hansard1803–2005:contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Derby
• More about The Earl of Derbyon the Downing Street website.
• Smith, William Browning (1878)."Edward-Geoffrey Smith Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. VII (9th ed.). pp.109–113.
• Works by Edward George Geoffrey Smith StanleyatProject Gutenberg
• Works by or about Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derbyat theInternet Archive
• Works by or about Lord Stanleyat theInternet Archive
• Works by Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of DerbyatLibriVox(public domain audiobooks)