Liberal Government 1868-1874

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The Conservative government under Benjamin Disraeli had been defeated at the General Election, so in December 1868 the victorious William Gladstone formed his first government. He introduced reforms in the Army (including the abolition of the purchase system), the legal system (establishing the Supreme Court of Judicature) and the Civil Service, and disestablished the Church of Ireland. In foreign affairs he pursued a peaceful policy. His government was defeated in the General Election of 1874, whereupon Disraeli formed another government and Gladstone retired as Leader of the Liberal Party.

Preceded by Conservative Government 1866-1868

British Government 1868–1874

Succeeded by Conservative Government 1874-1880

Office	Name	Date	Notes
Prime Minister	William Ewart Gladstone	3 December 1868 – 17 February 1874	the Government resigned 13 March 1873 and resumed 19 March 1873
Chancellor of the Exchequer	Robert Lowe	9 December 1868
	William Ewart Gladstone	11 August 1873
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury	George Grenfell Glyn	9 December 1868
	Arthur Wellesley Peel	1 August 1873
Financial Secretary to the Treasury	Acton Smee Ayrton	9 December 1868
	James Stansfeld	2 November 1869
	William Edward Baxter	17 March 1871
	John George Dodson	11 August 1873
Junior Lords of the Treasury	James Stansfeld	16 December 1868 – 2 November 1869
	The Marquess of Lansdowne	16 December 1868 – 25 April 1872
	William Patrick Adam	16 December 1868 – 8 August 1873
	John Cranch Walker Vivian	16 December 1868 – 4 August 1870
	William Henry Gladstone	2 November 1869 – 17 February 1874
	Lord Frederick Cavendish	8 August 1873-17 February 1874
	Algernon Fulke Greville	8 August 1873 – 17 February 1874
Lord Chancellor	The Lord Hatherley	9 December 1868
	The Lord Selborne	15 October 1872
Lord President of the Council	The Earl de Grey and Ripon	9 December 1868	created Marquess of Ripon 23 June 1871
	Henry Austin Bruce	9 August 1873	created Lord Aberdare 23 August 1873
Lord Privy Seal	The Earl of Kimberley	9 December 1868
	The Viscount Halifax	6 July 1870
Secretary of State for the Home Department	Henry Austin Bruce	9 December 1868
	Robert Lowe	9 August 1873
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department	Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen	10 December 1868
	George John Shaw-Lefevre	11 January 1871
	Henry Winterbotham	17 March 1871
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	The Earl of Clarendon	9 December 1868
	The Earl Granville	6 July 1870
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Arthur John Otway	12 December 1868
	Viscount Enfield	9 January 1871
Secretary of State for War	Edward Cardwell	9 December 1868
Under-Secretary of State for War	The Lord Northbrook	10 December 1868
	The Marquess of Lansdowne	26 April 1872
Financial Secretary to the War Office	John Cranch Walker Vivian	5 August 1870
	Henry Campbell-Bannerman	15 November 1871
Surveyor-General of the Ordnance	Sir Henry Storks	5 August 1870
Secretary of State for the Colonies	The Earl Granville	9 December 1868
	The Earl of Kimberley	6 July 1870
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies	William Monsell	10 December 1868
	Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen	14 January 1871
Secretary of State for India	The Duke of Argyll	9 December 1868
Under-Secretary of State for India	Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff	10 December 1868
First Lord of the Admiralty	Hugh Childers	9 December 1868
	George Joachim Goschen	24 March 1871
First (later Parliamentary) Secretary to the Admiralty	William Edward Baxter	18 December 1868
	George John Shaw-Lefevre	17 March 1871
Civil Lord of the Admiralty	George Otto Trevelyan	21 December 1868
	The Earl of Camperdown	11 July 1870
Vice-President of the Committee on Education	William Edward Forster	9 December 1868	entered the Cabinet July 1870
Chief Secretary for Ireland	Chichester Fortescue	16 December 1868
	Marquess of Hartington	12 January 1871
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland	The Earl Spencer	18 December 1868
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	The Lord Dufferin and Clandeboye	12 December 1868	created Earl of Dufferin 13 November 1871
	Hugh Childers	9 August 1872
	John Bright	30 September 1873
President of the Poor Law Board	George Joachim Goschen	9 December 1868
	James Stansfeld	24 March 1871	Board abolished 14 August 1871
Parliamentary Secretary to the Poor Law Board	Arthur Wellesley Peel	10 December 1868
President of the Local Government Board	James Stansfeld	19 August 1871
Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board	John Tomlinson Hibbert	19 August 1871
Postmaster-General	Marquess of Hartington	9 December 1868
	William Monsell	14 January 1871
	Lyon Playfair	18 November 1873
President of the Board of Trade	John Bright	9 December 1868
	Chichester Fortescue	14 January 1871
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade	George John Shaw-Lefevre	9 December 1868
	Arthur Wellesley Peel	14 January 1871
Paymaster-General	The Lord Dufferin and Clandeboye	12 December 1868	created Earl of Dufferin 13 November 1871
	Hugh Childers	9 August 1872
	William Patrick Adam	30 September 1873
First Commissioner of Works	Austen Henry Layard	9 December 1868
	Acton Smee Ayrton	26 October 1869
	William Patrick Adam	11 August 1873
Attorney General	Sir Robert Collier	12 December 1868
	Sir John Coleridge	10 November 1871
	Sir Henry James	20 November 1873
Solicitor General	Sir John Coleridge	12 December 1868
	Sir George Jessel	10 November 1871
	Sir Henry James	26 September 1873
	Sir William Vernon Harcourt	20 November 1873
Judge Advocate General	Sir Colman Michael O'Loghlen	16 December 1868
	John Robert Davison	28 December 1870
	Sir Robert Joseph Phillimore	17 May 1871
	Acton Smee Ayrton	21 August 1873
Lord Advocate	James Moncreiff	10 December 1868
	George Young	14 October 1869
Solicitor General for Scotland	George Young	14 December 1868
	Andrew Rutherfurd-Clark	14 October 1869
Attorney General for Ireland	Edward Sullivan	12 December 1868
	Charles Robert Barry	26 January 1870
	Richard Dowse	13 January 1872
	Christopher Palles	5 November 1872
Solicitor General for Ireland	Charles Robert Barry	12 December 1868
	Richard Dowse	14 February 1870
	Christopher Palles	6 February 1872
	Hugh Law	18 November 1872
Lord Steward of the Household	The Earl of Bessborough	12 December 1868
Lord Chamberlain of the Household	The Viscount Sydney	9 December 1868
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household	Viscount Castlerosse	12 December 1868	succeeded as 4th Earl of Kenmare 26 December 1871
	Lord Richard Grosvenor	25 February 1872
Master of the Horse	The Marquess of Ailesbury	12 December 1868
Treasurer of the Household	The Lord de Tabley	12 December 1868
	The Lord Poltimore	1 March 1872
	The Lord Monson	1 January 1874
Comptroller of the Household	Lord Otho FitzGerald	12 December 1868
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms	The Lord Foley	12 December 1868
	The Marquess of Normanby	27 December 1869
	The Earl Cowper	20 April 1871
	The Earl of Ilchester	1 January 1874
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard	The Duke of St Albans	22 December 1868
Master of the Buckhounds	The Earl of Cork	12 December 1868
Mistress of the Robes	The Duchess of Argyll	17 December 1868
	The Duchess of Sutherland	22 January 1870
Lords in Waiting	The Marquess of Normanby	17 December 1868 – 27 December 1869
	The Earl of Camperdown	17 December 1868 – 11 July 1870
	The Lord Camoys	17 December 1868 – 17 February 1874
	The Lord Suffield	17 December 1868 – 25 February 1872
	The Lord Methuen	17 December 1868 – 17 February 1874
	The Earl of Morley	22 December 1868 – 17 February 1874
	The Lord Lurgan	27 January 1869 – 17 February 1874
	The Lord Wrottesley	27 December 1869 – 17 February 1874
	The Marquess of Huntly	21 July 1870 – 1 March 1873
	The Earl of Kenmare	25 February 1872 – 17 February 1874
	The Earl of Breadalbane	1 March 1873 – 17 February 1874

Source: C. Cook and B. Keith, British Historical Facts 1830-1900