The Office of Lord President of the Council is a British cabinet position, the holder of which acts as Presiding officer of the Privy Council. The Lord President's principal responsibility is to preside at meetings of the Privy Council, at which the British monarch formally assents to Orders-in-Council. As the duties of the post are not rigorous it has often been given to a government minister, usually one of high standing, with non-departmental specific responsibilities. In recent years it has been most usual for the Lord President to also serve as Leader of the House of Commons, though as peers both the current Lord President Lady Amos, and her predecessor Lord Williams of Mostyn, who died in office on 20 September 2003, have combined the office with that of Leader of the House of Lords.
The Lord President is the fourth of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal.
In the 19th century, the Lord President was generally the cabinet member responsible for the educational system amongst their other duties, a role still played by the Privy Council at this time, although this role was gradually scaled back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A particularly vital role was played by the Lord President of the Council during the Second World War. The Lord President served as chairman of the Lord President's Committee. This committee acted as a central clearing house for dealing with economic problems that affected the country. As such, it was vital to the smooth running of the British war economy and consequently the entire British war effort.
Lord Presidents, 1530-1553
Lord Presidents, 1621-1631
Lord Presidents since 1678
- Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury (April 21, 1679 - October 15, 1679)
- John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor (October 24, 1679 - August 24, 1684)
- Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester (August 24, 1684 - February 18, 1685)
- George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax (February 18, 1685 - December 4, 1685)
- Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland (December 4, 1685 - October 1688)
- Thomas Osborne, 1st Marquess of Carmarthen, 1st Duke of Leeds (1694) (14 February 1689 - May 18, 1699)
- Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke (May 18, 1699 - January 29, 1702)
- Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset (January 29, 1702 - July 13, 1702)
- Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke (July 13, 1702 - November 25, 1708)
- John Somers, Lord Somers (November 25, 1708 - September 21, 1710)
- Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester (September 21, 1710 - June 13, 1711)
- John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby (June 13, 1711 - September 23, 1714)
- Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham (September 23, 1714 - July 6, 1716)
- William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire (July 6, 1716 - March 16, 1718)
- Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (March 16, 1718 - February 6, 1719)
- Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull (February 6. 1719 - June 11, 1720)
- Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend (June 11, 1720 - June 25, 1721)
- Henry Boyle, 1st Baron Carleton (June 25, 1721 - March 27, 1725)
- William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire (March 27, 1725 - May 8, 1730)
- Thomas Trevor, 1st Baron Trevor (May 8, 1730 - June 19, 1730)
- Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington (December 31, 1730 - February 13, 1742)
- William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington (February 13, 1742 - January 3, 1745)
- Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset (January 3, 1745 - June 17, 1751)
- John Carteret, 1st Earl of Granville (June 17, 1751 - September 9, 1763)
- John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford (September 9, 1763 - July 12, 1765)
- Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea and 3rd Earl of Nottingham (July 12, 1765 - July 30, 1766)
- Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington (July 30, 1766 - December 22, 1767)
- Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Gower (December 22, 1767 - November 24, 1779)
- Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst (November 24, 1779 - March 27, 1782)
- Charles Pratt, 1st Baron Camden (March 27, 1782 - April 2. 1783)
- David Murray, 7th Viscount Stormont (April 2, 1783 - December 19, 1783)
- Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Gower (December 19, 1783 - December 1, 1784)
- Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden (December 1, 1784 - July 1, 1794)
- William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 2nd Earl Fitzwilliam (July 1, 1794 - December 17, 1794)
- David Murray, 2nd Earl of Mansfield (December 17, 1794 - September 21, 1796)
- John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham (September 21, 1796 - July 30, 1801)
- William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (July 30, 1801 - January 14, 1805)
- Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (January 14, 1805 - July 10, 1805)
- John Jeffreys Pratt, 2nd Earl Camden (July 10, 1805 - February 19, 1806)
- William Fitzwilliam, Earl Fitzwilliam (February 19, 1806 - October 8, 1806)
- Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (October 8, 1806 - March 26, 1807)
- John Jeffreys Pratt, 2nd Earl Camden (March 26, 1807 - April 8, 1812)
- Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (April 8, 1812 - June 11, 1812)
- Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby (June 11, 1812 - August 17, 1827)
- William Cavendish-Bentinck-Scott, 4th Duke of Portland (August 17, 1827 - January 28, 1828)
- Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst (January 28, 1828 - November 22, 1830)
- Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (November 22, 1830 - December 15, 1834)
- James St Clair Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn (December 15, 1834 - April 18, 1835)
- Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (April 18, 1835 - September 3, 1841)
- James Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, 1st Baron Wharncliffe (September 3, 1841 - January 21, 1846)
- Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch (January 21, 1846 - July 6, 1846)
- Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (July 6, 1846 - February 27, 1852)
- William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale (February 27, 1852 - December 28, 1852)
- Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (December 28, 1852 - June 12, 1854)
- Lord John Russell (June 12, 1854 - February 8, 1855)
- Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (February 8, 1855 - February 26, 1858)
- James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury (February 26, 1858 - June 18, 1859)
- Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (June 18, 1859 - July 6, 1866)
- Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (July 6, 1866 - March 8, 1867)
- John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough (March 8, 1867 - December 9, 1868)
- George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon (December 9, 1868 - August 9, 1873)
- Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare (August 9, 1873 - February 21, 1874)
- Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond and Lennox (February 21, 1874 - April 28, 1880)
- John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer (April 28, 1880 - March 19, 1883)
- Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue (March 19, 1883 - June 24, 1885)
- Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Viscount Cranbrook (June 24, 1885 - February 6, 1886)
- John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer (February 6, 1886 - August 3, 1886)
- Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Viscount Cranbrook (August 3, 1886 - August 18, 1892)
- John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley (August 18, 1892 - March 10, 1894)
- Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery (March 10, 1894 - June 29, 1895)
- Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire (June 29, 1895 - October 19, 1903)
- Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry (October 19, 1903 - December 11, 1905)
- Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Earl of Crewe (December 11, 1905 - April 16, 1908)
- Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth (April 16, 1908 - October 19, 1908)
- Henry Hartley Fowler, 1st Viscount Wolverhampton (October 19, 1908 - June 21, 1910)
- William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp (June 21, 1910 - November 7, 1910)
- John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley (November 7, 1910 - August 5, 1914)
- William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp (August 5, 1914 - May 25, 1915)
- Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe (May 25, 1915 - December 10, 1916)
- George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston (December 10, 1916 - October 23, 1919)
- Arthur James Balfour (October 23, 1919 - October 19, 1922)
- James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury (October 24, 1922 - January 22, 1924)
- Charles Alfred Cripps, 1st Baron Parmoor (January 22, 1924 - November 3, 1924)
- George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (November 6, 1924 - April 27, 1925)
- Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (April 27, 1925 - June 4, 1929)
- Charles Alfred Cripps, 1st Baron Parmoor (June 7, 1929 - August 24, 1931)
- Stanley Baldwin (August 25, 1931 - June 7, 1935)
- Ramsay MacDonald (June 7, 1935 - May 28, 1937)
- Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 3rd Viscount Halifax (May 28, 1937 - March 9, 1938)
- Douglas Hogg, 1st Viscount Hailsham (March 9, 1938 - October 31, 1938)
- Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford (October 31, 1938 - September 3, 1939)
- James Stanhope, 7th Earl Stanhope (September 3, 1939 - May 11, 1940)
- Neville Chamberlain (May 11, 1940 - October 3, 1940)
- Sir John Anderson (October 3, 1940 - September 24, 1943)
- Clement Attlee (September 24, 1943 - May 23, 1945)
- Frederick Marquis, 1st Baron Woolton (May 25, 1945 - July 26, 1945)
- Herbert Stanley Morrison (July 27, 1945 - March 9, 1951)
- Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison (March 9, 1951 -October 26, 1951)
- Frederick Marquis, 1st Baron Woolton (October 28, 1951 - November 25, 1952)
- Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury (November 25, 1952 - March 29, 1957)
- Alexander Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home (March 29, 1957 - September 17, 1957)
- Quintin McGarel Hogg, 2nd Viscount Hailsham (September 17, 1957 - October 14, 1959)
- Alexander Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home (October 14, 1959 - July 27, 1960)
- Quintin McGarel Hogg, 2nd Viscount Hailsham (July 27, 1960 - October 16, 1964)
- Herbert Bowden (October 16, 1964 - August 11, 1966)
- Richard Crossman (August 11, 1966 - October 18, 1968)
- Fred Peart (October 18, 1968 - June 19, 1970)
- William Whitelaw (June 20, 1970 - April 7, 1972)
- Robert Carr (April 7, 1972 - November 5, 1972)
- James Prior (November 5, 1972 - March 4, 1974)
- Edward Short (March 5, 1974 - April 8, 1976)
- Michael Foot (April 8, 1976 - May 4, 1979)
- Christopher Soames, Baron Soames (May 5, 1979 - September 14, 1981)
- Francis Pym (September 14, 1981 - April 7, 1982)
- John Biffen (April 7, 1982 - June 11, 1983)
- William Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw (June 11, 1983 - January 10, 1988)
- John Wakeham (January 10, 1988 - July 24, 1989)
- Sir Geoffrey Howe (July 24, 1989 - November 1, 1990) (Resigned)
- John MacGregor (November 2, 1990 - April 10, 1992)
- Tony Newton (April 10, 1992 - May 2, 1997)
- Ann Taylor (May 3, 1997 - July 27, 1998)
- Margaret Beckett (July 27, 1998 - June 8, 2001)
- Robin Cook (June 8, 2001 - March 18, 2003) (Resigned)
- John Reid (April 4, 2003 - June 13, 2003)
- Gareth Wyn Williams, Lord Williams of Mostyn (June 13, 2003 - September 20, 2003) (Died in office)
- Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos (October 6, 2003 -)
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