First Lord of the Admiralty - Definition and Overview

The First Lord of the Admiralty was a British government position in charge of the Admiralty. The post evolved from that of Lord High Admiral and existed in its own right from 1709 until 1964 when it was subsumed into the position of Secretary of State for Defence.

Lords High Admiral and First Lords of the Admiralty, 1628-1709

• Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland (First Lord of the Admiralty) 1628 - 1635
• Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey(First Lord of the Admiralty) 1635 - 1636
• William Juxon, Bishop of Lincoln (First Lord of the Admiralty) 1636 - 1638
• Algernon Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland (Lord High Admiral to 1642, then First Lord of the Admiralty) 1638 - 1643
• Francis Cottington, 1st Baron Cottington 1643 - 1646
• none 1646-1660
• James Stuart, Duke of York and Albany (Lord High Admiral) 1660 - 1673
• King Charles II (Lord High Admiral) 1673
• Prince Rupert of the Palatinate, 1st Duke of Cumberland (Lord High Admiral) 1673 - 1679
• Sir Henry Capell (First Lord of the Admiralty) 1679 - 1681
• Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham (First Lord of the Admiralty) 1681 - 1684
• King Charles II (Lord High Admiral) 1684 - 1685
• King James II (Lord High Admiral) 1685 - 1688
• King William III (Lord High Admiral) 1689
• Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington (Lord High Admiral to 1689, then First Lord of the Admiralty) 1689 - 1690
• Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke (First Lord of the Admiralty) 1690 - 1692
• Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis (First Lord of the Admiralty) 1692 - 1693
• Anthony Carey, 5th Viscount Falkland (First Lord of the Admiralty) 1693 - 1694
• Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford (First Lord of the Admiralty) 1694 - 1699
• John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgwater (First Lord of the Admiralty) 1699 - 1701
• Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke(Lord High Admiral) 1701 - 1702
• Prince George of Denmark (Lord High Admiral) 1702 - 1708
• Queen Anne (Lord High Admiral) 1708
• Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke (Lord High Admiral) 1708 - 1709

First Lords of the Admiralty, 1709-1964

• Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford 1709 - 1710
• Sir John Leake 1710 - 1712
• Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford 1712 - 1714
• Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford 1714 - 1717
• James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley 1717 - 1727
• George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington 1727 - 1733
• Sir Charles Wager 1733 - 1742
• Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea 1742 - 1744
• John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford 1744 - 1748
• John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich 1748 - 1751
• George Anson, 1st Baron Anson 1751 - 1756
• Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple 1756 - 1757
• Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea 1757
• George Anson, 1st Baron Anson 1757 - 1762
• George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax 1762
• George Grenville 1762-1763
• John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich 1763
• John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont 1763 - 1766
• Sir Charles Saunders 1766
• Sir Edward Hawke 1766 - 1771
• John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich 1771 - 1782
• Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel 1782 - 1783
• Richard Howe, 4th Viscount Howe 1783
• Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel 1783
• Richard Howe, 4th Viscount Howe 1783 - 1788
• John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham 1788 - 1794
• George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer 1794 - 1801
• John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent 1801 - 1804
• Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville 1804 - 1805
• Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham 1805 - 1806
• Charles Grey, Viscount Howick 1806
• Thomas Grenville 1806 - 1807
• Henry Phipps, 3rd Baron Mulgrave 1807 - 1810
• Charles Philip Yorke 1810 - 1812
• Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville 1812 - 1827
• HRH The Duke of Clarence (Lord High Admiral) 1827 - 1828
• Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville 1828 - 1830
• Sir James Graham 1830 - 1834
• George Eden, 2nd Baron Auckland 1834
• Thomas Robinson, 2nd Earl de Grey 1834 - 1835
• George Eden, 2nd Baron Auckland 1835
• Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 2nd Earl of Minto 1835 - 1841
• Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington 1841 - 1846
• Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough 1846
• George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland 1846 - 1849
• Sir Francis Thornhill Baring 1849 - 1852
• Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland 1852
• Sir James Graham 1852 - 1855
• Sir Charles Wood 1855 - 1858
• Sir John Pakington 1858 - 1859
• Edward Adolphus Seymour, 12th Duke of Somerset 1859 - 1866
• Sir John Pakington 1866 - 1867
• Henry Thomas Lowry Corry 1867 - 1868
• Hugh Childers 1868 - 1871
• George Joachim Goschen 1871 - 1874
• George Ward Hunt 1874 - 1877
• William Henry Smith 1877 - 1880
• Thomas George Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook 1880 - 1885
• Lord George Hamilton 1885 - 1886
• George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon 1886
• Lord George Hamilton 1886 - 1892
• John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer 1892 - 1895
• George Joachim Goschen 1895 - 1900
• William Waldegrave Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne 1900 - 1905
• Frederick Archibald Vaughan Campbell, 3rd Earl Cawdor 1905
• Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth 1905 - 1908
• Reginald McKenna 1908 - 1911
• Winston Churchill 1911 - 1915
• Arthur Balfour 1915 - 1916
• Sir Edward Carson 1916 - 1917
• Sir Eric Geddes 1917 - 1919
• Walter Hume Long 1919 - 1921
• Arthur Hamilton Lee, 1st Baron Lee of Fareham 1921 - 1922
• Leo Amery 1922 - 1924
• Frederic John Napier Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford 1924
• William Clive Bridgeman 1924 - 1929
• A. V. Alexander 1929 - 1931
• Sir Austen Chamberlain 1931
• Sir Bolton Eyres-Monsell (Viscount Monsell from 1935) 1931 - 1936
• Sir Samuel Hoare 1936 - 1937
• Alfred Duff Cooper 1937 - 1938
• James Stanhope, 7th Earl Stanhope 1938 - 1939
• Winston Churchill 1939 - 1940
• A. V. Alexander 1940 - 1945
• Brendan Bracken 1945
• A. V. Alexander 1945 - 1946
• George Hall, 1st Viscount Hall 1946 - 1951
• Francis Aungier Pakenham, 1st Baron Pakenham 1951
• James Thomas, 1st Viscount Cilcennan (1955) 1951 - 1956
• Quintin McGarel Hogg, 2nd Viscount Hailsham 1956 - 1957
• George Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk 1957 - 1959
• Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, 1959-1963
• George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe 1963-1964