List of Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs (UK)

The position Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom has been in existence in various forms since 1782. Here is a list of the holders of it and its predecessor offices.^[1]

1 Foreign Secretary of Great Britain
2 Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom
3 Ministers concerned with the British Empire and Commonwealth
4 Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, since 1968
- 4.1 Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1968 - present)
5 References

Foreign Secretary of Great Britain

In 1782 the positions of Secretary of State for the Northern Department and Secretary of State for the Southern Department were put together and divided upon domestic/international lines into the positions of Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary.

	Name and Party of Prime Minister	Entered office	Left office	Political party
Charles James Fox	The Marquess of Rockingham (Whig)	27 March	5 June 1782	Whig
The Lord Grantham	The Earl of Shelburne (Whig)	13 July 1782	3 April 1783	Whig
Charles James Fox	The Duke of Portland (Whig)	2 April	19 December 1783	Whig
The Earl Temple	William Pitt the Younger (Tory)	19 December	22 December 1783	Whig
The Marquess of Camarthen	William Pitt the Younger (Tory)	23 December 1783	May 1791	Whig
The Lord Grenville	William Pitt the Younger (Tory)	8 June 1791	20 February 1801	Whig

Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom

In 1801 the Act of Union unified Great Britain and Ireland and the position of Foreign Secretary of Great Britain gave way to that of Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom.

	Name and Party of Prime Minister	Entered office	Left office	Political party
The Lord Hawkesbury	Henry Addington (Tory)	20 February 1801	14 May 1804	Tory
The Earl of Harrowby	William Pitt the Younger (Tory)	14 May 1804	11 January 1805	Tory
The Lord Mulgrave	William Pitt the Younger (Tory)	11 January 1805	7 February 1806	Tory
Charles James Fox	The Lord Grenville (Whig)	7 February	13 September 1806	Whig
The Viscount Howick	The Lord Grenville (Whig)	24 September 1806	25 March 1807	Whig
George Canning	The Duke of Portland (Tory)	25 March 1807	11 October 1809	Tory
The Earl Bathurst	Spencer Perceval (Tory)	11 October 1809	6 December 1809	Tory
The Marquess Wellesley	Spencer Perceval (Tory)	6 December 1809	4 March 1812	Tory
The Viscount Castlereagh	Spencer Perceval (Tory) The Earl of Liverpool (Tory)	4 March 1812	12 August 1822	Tory
George Canning	The Earl of Liverpool (Tory)	16 September 1822	30 April 1827	Tory
The Earl of Dudley	George Canning (Tory) The Viscount Goderich (Tory) The Duke of Wellington (Tory)	30 April 1827	2 June 1828	Tory
The Earl of Aberdeen	The Duke of Wellington (Tory)	2 June 1828	22 November 1830	Tory
The Viscount Palmerston	The Earl Grey (Whig) The Viscount Melbourne (Whig)	22 November 1830	15 November 1834	Whig
The Duke of Wellington	Himself (caretaker government) Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Bart. (Conservative)	15 November 1834	18 April 1835	Tory
The Viscount Palmerston	The Viscount Melbourne (Whig)	18 April 1835	2 September 1841	Whig
The Earl of Aberdeen	Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Bart. (Conservative)	2 September 1841	6 July 1846	Conservative
The Viscount Palmerston	Lord John Russell (Whig)	6 July 1846	26 December 1851	Whig
The Earl Granville	Lord John Russell (Whig)	26 December 1851	27 February 1852	Whig
The Earl of Malmesbury	The Earl of Derby (Conservative)	27 February 1852	28 December 1852	Conservative
Lord John Russell	The Earl of Aberdeen (Peelite)	28 December 1852	21 February 1853	Whig
The Earl of Clarendon	The Earl of Aberdeen (Peelite) The Viscount Palmerston (Whig)	21 February 1853	26 February 1858	Whig
The Earl of Malmesbury	The Earl of Derby (Conservative)	26 February 1858	18 June 1859	Conservative
The Earl Russell	The Viscount Palmerston (Liberal)	18 June 1859	3 November 1865	Liberal
The Earl of Clarendon	The Earl Russell (Liberal)	3 November 1865	6 July 1866	Liberal
The Lord Stanley	The Earl of Derby (Conservative) Benjamin Disraeli (Conservative)	6 July 1866	9 December 1868	Conservative
The Earl of Clarendon	William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal)	9 December 1868	6 July 1870	Liberal
The Earl Granville	William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal)	6 July 1870	21 February 1874	Liberal
The Lord Stanley	Benjamin Disraeli (Conservative)	21 February 1874	2 April 1878	Conservative
The Marquess of Salisbury	Benjamin Disraeli (Conservative)	2 April 1878	28 April 1880	Conservative
The Earl Granville	William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal)	28 April 1880	24 June 1885	Liberal
The Marquess of Salisbury	Himself	24 June 1885	6 February 1886	Conservative
The Earl of Rosebery	William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal)	6 February 1886	3 August 1886	Liberal
The Earl of Iddesleigh	The Marquess of Salisbury (Conservative)	3 August 1886	12 January 1887	Conservative
The Marquess of Salisbury	Himself	14 January 1887	11 August 1892	Conservative
The Earl of Rosebery	William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal)	18 August 1892	11 March 1894	Liberal
The Earl of Kimberley	The Earl of Rosebery (Liberal)	11 March 1894	21 June 1895	Liberal
The Marquess of Salisbury	Himself	29 June 1895	12 November 1900	Conservative
The Marquess of Lansdowne	The Marquess of Salisbury (Conservative) Arthur James Balfour (Conservative)	12 November 1900	4 December 1905	Liberal Unionist
Sir Edward Grey	Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (Liberal) H.H. Asquith (Liberal)	10 December 1905	10 December 1916	Liberal
Arthur Balfour	David Lloyd George (Liberal)	10 December 1916	23 October 1919	Conservative
The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston	David Lloyd George (Liberal) Andrew Bonar Law (Conservative) Stanley Baldwin (Conservative)	23 October 1919	22 January 1924	Conservative
Ramsay MacDonald	Himself	22 January 1924	3 November 1924	Labour
Sir Austen Chamberlain	Stanley Baldwin (Conservative)	6 November 1924	4 June 1929	Conservative
Arthur Henderson	Ramsay MacDonald (Labour)	7 June 1929	24 August 1930	Labour
The Marquess of Reading	Ramsay MacDonald (National Labour)	25 August 1931	5 November 1931	Liberal
Sir John Simon	Ramsay MacDonald (National Labour)	5 November 1931	7 June 1935	Liberal National
Sir Samuel Hoare, 2nd Bart.	Stanley Baldwin (Conservative)	7 June 1935	18 December 1935	Conservative
Anthony Eden	Stanley Baldwin (Conservative) Neville Chamberlain (Conservative)	22 December 1935	20 February 1938	Conservative
The Viscount Halifax	Neville Chamberlain (Conservative) Winston Churchill (Conservative)	21 February 1938	22 December 1940	Conservative
Anthony Eden	Winston Churchill (Conservative)	22 December 1940	26 July 1945	Conservative
Ernest Bevin	Clement Attlee (Labour)	27 July 1945	9 March 1951	Labour
Herbert Morrison	Clement Attlee (Labour)	9 March 1951	26 October 1951	Labour
Sir Anthony Eden	Sir Winston Churchill (Conservative)	28 October 1951	7 April 1955	Conservative
Harold Macmillan	Anthony Eden (Conservative)	7 April 1955	20 December 1955	Conservative
Selwyn Lloyd	Anthony Eden (Conservative) Harold Macmillan (Conservative)	20 December 1955	27 July 1960	Conservative
The Earl of Home	Harold Macmillan (Conservative)	27 July 1960	20 October 1963	Conservative
R.A. Butler	Sir Alec Douglas-Home (Conservative)	20 October 1963	16 October 1964	Conservative
Patrick Gordon Walker	Harold Wilson (Labour)	16 October 1964	22 January 1965	Labour
Michael Stewart	Harold Wilson (Labour)	22 January 1965	11 August 1966	Labour
George Brown	Harold Wilson (Labour)	11 August 1966	16 March 1968	Labour
Michael Stewart	Harold Wilson (Labour)	16 March 1968	17 October 1968	Labour

Ministers concerned with the British Empire and Commonwealth

This office was in charge of the dominions of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, and the Irish Free State, as well as the self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia. The name was changed in 1947 to that of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations. This office was combined with that of Secretary of State for the Colonies (previously Secretary of State for War and the Colonies). This new position, called `Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs.

Secretaries of State for (War and) the Colonies, 1768-1966

Wills Hill, 1st Earl of Hillsborough (27 February 1768 – 27 August 1772)
William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth (27 August 1772 - 10 November 1775)
Lord George Germain (10 November 1775 - February 1782
Welbore Ellis (February - 8 March 1782)

In 1782, following the loss of the American colonies, the office was abolished, and its duties given to the Home Secretary, then Lord Sydney. In 1794 a new office was created for Henry Dundas — the Secretary of State for War, which now took responsibility for the Colonies, and was renamed the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies in 1801. In 1854, military reforms led to the Colonial and Military responsibilities of this secretary of state being split into two separate offices, with Sir George Grey becoming the first Secretary of State for the Colonies under the new arrangement.

Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet (12 June 1854 – 8 February 1855)
Sidney Herbert (8 February 1855 – 23 February 1855)
Lord John Russell (23 February 1855 – 21 July 1855)
Sir William Molesworth, 8th Baronet (21 July 1855 – 21 November 1855)
Henry Labouchere (21 November 1855 – 21 February 1858)
Edward Henry Stanley, Lord Stanley (26 February 1858 – 5 June 1858)
Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton (5 June 1858 – 11 June 1859)
Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle (18 June 1859 – 7 April 1864)
Edward Cardwell (7 April 1864 – 26 June 1866)
Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon (6 July 1866 – 8 March 1867)
Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (8 March 1867 – 1 December 1868)
Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (9 December 1868 – 6 July 1870)
John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley (6 July 1870 – 17 February 1874)
Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon (21 February 1874 – 4 February 1878)
Sir Michael Hicks Beach (4 February 1878 – 21 April 1880)
John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley (21 April 1880 – 16 December 1882)
Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby (16 December 1882 – 9 June 1885)
Frederick Arthur Stanley (24 June 1885 – 28 January 1886)
Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (6 February 1886 – 20 July 1886)
Edward Stanhope (3 August 1886 – 14 January 1887)
Henry Thurstan Holland, 1st Baron Knutsford (14 January 1887 – 11 August 1892)
George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon (18 August 1892 – 21 June 1895)
Joseph Chamberlain (29 June 1895 – 16 September 1903) (Resigned)
Alfred Lyttelton (11 October 1903 – 4 December 1905)
Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin (10 December 1905 – 12 April 1908)
Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Earl of Crewe (12 April 1908 – 3 November 1910)
Lewis Vernon Harcourt (3 November 1910 – 25 May 1915)
Andrew Bonar Law (25 May 1915 – 10 December 1916)
Walter Hume Long (10 December 1916 – 10 January 1919)
Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner (10 January 1919 – 13 February 1921)
Winston Churchill (13 February 1921 – 19 October 1922)
Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire (24 October 1922 – 22 January 1924)
James Henry Thomas (22 January 1924 – 3 November 1924)
Leo Amery (6 November 1924 – 4 June 1929)
Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield (7 June 1929 – 24 August 1931)
James Henry Thomas (25 August 1931 – 5 November 1931)
Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister (5 November 1931 – 7 June 1935)
Malcolm MacDonald (7 June 1935 – 22 November 1935)
James Henry Thomas (22 November 1935 – 22 May 1936) (Resigned)
William Ormsby-Gore (28 May 1936 – 16 May 1938)
Malcolm MacDonald (16 May 1938 – 12 May 1940)
George Ambrose Lloyd, 1st Baron Lloyd (12 May 1940 – 8 February 1941)
Walter Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne (8 February 1941 – 22 February 1942)
Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne (22 February 1942 – 22 November 1942)
Oliver Stanley (22 November 1942 – 26 July 1945)
George Hall (3 August 1945 – 4 October 1946)
Arthur Creech Jones (4 October 1946 – 28 February 1950)
James Griffiths (28 February 1950 – 26 October 1951)
Oliver Lyttelton (28 October 1951 – 28 July 1954)
Alan Lennox-Boyd (28 July 1954 – 14 October 1959)
Iain Macleod (14 October 1959 – 9 October 1961)
Reginald Maudling (9 October 1961 – 13 July 1962)
Duncan Sandys (13 July 1962 – 16 October 1964)
Anthony Greenwood (18 October 1964 – 23 December 1965)
Francis Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford (23 December 1965 – 6 April 1966)
Frederick Lee (6 April 1966 – 1 August 1966)

Secretaries of State for Dominion Affairs, 1925-1947

Leo Amery (11 June 1925 – 4 June 1929)
Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield (7 June 1929 – 5 June 1930)
James Henry Thomas (5 June 1930 – 22 November 1935)
Malcolm MacDonald (22 November 1935 – 16 May 1938)
Edward Montagu Cavendish Stanley, Lord Stanley (16 May 1938 – 31 October 1938)
Malcolm MacDonald (31 October 1938 – 29 January 1939)
Sir Thomas Walker Inskip (29 January 1939 – 3 September 1939)
Anthony Eden (3 September 1939 – 14 May 1940)
Thomas Inskip, 1st Viscount Caldecote (14 May 1940 – 3 October 1940)
Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne (3 October 1940 – 19 February 1942)
Clement Attlee (19 February 1942 – 24 September 1943)
Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne (24 September 1943 – 26 July 1945)
Viscount Addison (3 August 1945 – 7 July 1947)

Secretaries of State for Commonwealth Relations, 1947-1966

Viscount Addison (7 July 1947 – 7 October 1947)
Philip Noel-Baker (7 October 1947 – 28 February 1950)
Patrick Gordon Walker (28 February 1950 – 26 October 1951)
Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay (28 October 1951 – 12 March 1952)
Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury (12 March 1952 – 24 November 1952)
Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Viscount Swinton (24 November 1952 – 7 April 1955)
Alexander Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home (7 April 1955 – 27 July 1960)
Duncan Sandys (27 July 1960 – 16 October 1964)
Arthur Bottomley (18 October 1964 – 1 August 1966)

Secretaries of State for Commonwealth Affairs, 1966-1968

Herbert Bowden (1 August 1966–29 August 1967)
George Thomson (29 August 1967–17 October 1968)

Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, since 1968

Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1968 - present)

	Name and Party of Prime Minister	Entered office	Left office	Political party
Michael Stewart	Harold Wilson (Labour)	17 October 1968	19 June 1970	Labour
Alec Douglas-Home	Edward Heath (Conservative)	20 June 1970	28 February 1974	Conservative
James Callaghan	Harold Wilson (Labour)	29 February 1974	8 April 1976	Labour
Anthony Crosland	James Callaghan (Labour)	9 April 1976	19 February 1977 1	Labour
David Owen	James Callaghan (Labour)	22 February 1977	4 May 1979	Labour
The Lord Carrington	Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)	5 May 1979	5 April 1982 2	Conservative
Francis Pym	Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)	6 April 1982	11 June 1983	Conservative
Geoffrey Howe	Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)	11 June 1983	24 July 1989	Conservative
John Major	Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)	24 July 1989	26 October 1989	Conservative
Douglas Hurd	John Major (Conservative)	26 October 1989	5 July 1995	Conservative
Malcolm Rifkind	John Major (Conservative)	5 July 1995	2 May 1997	Conservative
Robin Cook	Tony Blair (Labour)	2 May 1997	8 June 2001	Labour
Jack Straw	Tony Blair (Labour)	8 June 2001	5 May 2006	Labour
Margaret Beckett	Tony Blair (Labour)	5 May 2006	28 June 2007	Labour
David Miliband	Gordon Brown (Labour)	28 June 2007	11 May 2010	Labour
William Hague	David Cameron (Conservative)	11 May 2010	present	Conservative

References

^ For a selective treatment of 11 earlier office-holders by a former Foreign Secretary (Douglas Hurd - Later Lord Hurd), see Douglas Hurd (and Edward Young), Choose Your Weapons: The British Foreign Secretary: Two Centuries of Conflict and Personalities, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2010. ISBN 9780297853343.