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The Right Honourable Spencer Perceval (November 1,
1762 – May 11, 1812) was a United
Kingdom|British statesman and Prime Minister of
the United Kingdom|Prime Minister. He is the only
British Prime Minister to have been
Assassination|assassinated.
==Biography==
Perceval was the seventh son of John Perceval, 2nd
Earl of Egmont by his second wife. His father, a
close advisor of Frederick, Prince of Wales and
George III of the United Kingdom|King George III,
had served briefly in the Cabinet as
Admiralty|First Lord of the Admiralty, but died
when Perceval was ten.

He attended Harrow School|Harrow and Trinity
College, Cambridge|Trinity College, Cambridge
University|Cambridge, where he was impressed by
the Evangelism|evangelical Anglican movement. In
later life Perceval became an expert on Biblical
prophecy and wrote pamphlets relating prophecies
which he had discovered. Perceval became a
barrister on the Midland circuit, where he found
it difficult to obtain sufficient work until aided
by family connections. Through his mother's family
he was appointed as a Deputy Recorder of
Northampton, and he was later made a Commissioner
of Bankruptcy|Bankrupts and given a legal sinecure
worth £119 annually. Perceval acted for the Crown
in the prosecutions of Thomas Paine (1792) and
John Horne Tooke (1794), and wrote pamphlets
supporting the impeachment of Warren Hastings.

Perceval's brother Lord Arden served in William
Pitt the Younger's government, which led to his
being noticed. He was considered in 1795 as a
possible Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant
for Ireland but rejected the idea of a political
career. However he accepted nomination as MP for
Northampton in 1796, when the proprietor's heir
was ineligible, as a family trust. He made several
speeches fiercely attacking Charles James Fox and
revolutionary politics, which impressed Pitt, who
apparently considered him as a possible successor.
He was appointed Solicitor of the Ordnance in
1798.

Perceval had no sympathy for Pitt's resignation
over Roman Catholic|Catholic relief after the Act
of Union with Ireland. He was therefore promoted
in Henry Addington, 1st Viscount
Sidmouth|Addington's government to be Solicitor
General from 1801, and then to Attorney General
from 1802. However, Perceval did not agree with
Addington's general policies (especially on
foreign policy), and confined himself to speeches
on legal issues. When he did defend the
government, he was vituperative. He retained
office when Pitt returned in 1804. While Perceval
instigated prosecutions of radicals, he also
reformed the laws on transportation to Australia.

At Pitt's funeral in January 1806, Perceval was
one of the emblem bearers. He went into opposition
when the new government included Fox, and made
many effective speeches against the 'Ministry of
All the Talents'. He was especially vehement in
his opposition to Catholic emancipation. When the
Ministry fell, the William Henry
Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland|Duke of
Portland put together a shaky coalition of senior
Tory|Tories with Perceval as Chancellor of the
Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. With
Portland aged, unwell and a figurehead, Perceval
was effectively the chief Minister. He even lived
at 10 Downing Street for most of the time.

It was under Perceval that William Wilberforce
passed his Bill abolishing the Slavery|slave
trade. When Napoleon I of France|Napoleon
Bonaparte embargoed British trade under the
Continental System, Perceval drafted Orders in
Council to retaliate against foreign trade.
However his anti-Catholic bigotry showed with his
opposition to the government grant to St Patrick's
College, Maynooth|Maynooth College. The government
was continuously riven with splits and when the
Duke of Portland suffered a stroke in August 1809
there was intense maneuvring between Perceval and
George Canning over who should take over. Perceval
won out with the support of Robert Stewart,
Viscount Castlereagh|Viscount Castlereagh.

Unable to include Canning and his allies,
Perceval's administration was notable mostly for
its lack of most of the more important statesmen
of the period. He had to serve as his own
Chancellor after obtaining six refusals of office.
The government sometimes struggled in the British
House of Commons|House of Commons, being defeated
in motions critical of both foreign and economic
policy. He remained adamantly opposed to reform of
the electoral system.

Perceval found himself having to cope with the
final descent of George III of the United
Kingdom|King George III into madness. Though
Perceval feared that the George IV of the United
Kingdom|Prince Regent would dismiss his
government, the Prince abandoned the Whigs and
confirmed Perceval in office; later attempts by
the Prince to entice others to join the Ministry
were unsuccessful. Perceval pursued the Peninsular
War doggedly and always defended it against those
who prophesied defeat.

The Orders in Council against trade which Perceval
had instituted in 1807 became unpopular in the
winter of 1811 with Luddite riots breaking out.
Perceval was forced to concede an inquiry by the
House of Commons. On May 11, 1812, Perceval was on
his way to attend the inquiry when he was shot
through the heart in the Lobby of the House of
Commons by John Bellingham. His assassin was
demanding compensation for his imprisonment in
Russia.

Perceval is buried at St Luke's Church in
Charlton, Greenwich|Charlton, south-east London.
==Spencer Perceval's Administration, October 1809
- May 1812==

*Spencer Perceval - First Lord of the Treasury,
Leader of the House of Commons, Chancellor of the
Exchequer and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
*John Scott, 1st Lord Eldon|Lord Eldon - Lord
Chancellor
*John Jeffreys Pratt, 2nd Earl Camden|Lord Camden
- Lord President of the Council
*John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland|Lord
Westmorland - Lord Privy Seal
*Richard Ryder (19th century politician)|Richard
Ryder - Secretary of State for the Home Department
*Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst|Lord Bathurst -
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and
President of the Board of Trade
*Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of
Liverpool|Lord Liverpool - Secretary of State for
War and the Colonies and Leader of the House of
Lords
*Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave|Lord Mulgrave
- First Lord of the Admiralty
*John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham|Lord Chatham -
Master-General of the Ordnance
===Changes===
*December, 1809 - Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess
Wellesley|Lord Wellesley succeeds Lord Bathurst as
Foreign Secretary.  Bathurst continues at the
Board of Trade.
*May, 1810 - Lord Mulgrave succeeds Lord Chatham
as Master-General of the Ordnance.  Charles Philip
Yorke succeeds Mulgrave as First Lord of the
Admiralty.
*March, 1812 - Robert Stewart, Viscount
Castlereagh|Lord Castlereagh succeeds Lord
Wellesley as Foreign Secretary.
*April, 1812 - Henry Addington, 1st Viscount
Sidmouth|Lord Sidmouth succeeds Lord Camden as
Lord President.  Camden remains in the cabinet as
a minister without portfolio.
start box
succession box | before=Sir William Grant |
title=Solicitor General for England and
Wales|Solicitor-General | years=1801–1802 |
after=Sir Thomas Manners Sutton
succession box | title=Attorney General for
England and Wales|Attorney-General | before=Edward
Law, 1st Baron Ellenborough|Sir Edward Law |
after=Sir Arthur Pigott | years=1802–1806
succession box | title=Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster | before=Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl
of Derby|The Earl of Derby | after= Robert Hobart,
4th Earl of Buckinghamshire|The Earl of
Buckinghamshire | years=1807–1812
succession box | title=Chancellor of the Exchequer
| before=Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of
Lansdowne|The Lord Henry Petty | after= Nicholas
Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley|Nicholas Vansittart |
years=1807–1812
succession box | title=Leader of the House of
Commons | before=Charles Grey, 2nd Earl
Grey|Viscount Howick | after= Robert Stewart,
Viscount Castlereagh|Viscount Castlereagh |
years=1807–1812
succession box | title=Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom|Prime Minister | before=William
Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland|The
Duke of Portland | after= Robert Jenkinson, 2nd
Earl of Liverpool|The Earl of Liverpool |
years=1809–1812
end box

	Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

The Right Honourable Spencer Perceval (November 1,
1762 – May 11, 1812) was a United
Kingdom|British statesman and Prime Minister of
the United Kingdom|Prime Minister. He is the only
British Prime Minister to have been
Assassination|assassinated.
==Biography==
Perceval was the seventh son of John Perceval, 2nd
Earl of Egmont by his second wife. His father, a
close advisor of Frederick, Prince of Wales and
George III of the United Kingdom|King George III,
had served briefly in the Cabinet as
Admiralty|First Lord of the Admiralty, but died
when Perceval was ten.

He attended Harrow School|Harrow and Trinity
College, Cambridge|Trinity College, Cambridge
University|Cambridge, where he was impressed by
the Evangelism|evangelical Anglican movement. In
later life Perceval became an expert on Biblical
prophecy and wrote pamphlets relating prophecies
which he had discovered. Perceval became a
barrister on the Midland circuit, where he found
it difficult to obtain sufficient work until aided
by family connections. Through his mother's family
he was appointed as a Deputy Recorder of
Northampton, and he was later made a Commissioner
of Bankruptcy|Bankrupts and given a legal sinecure
worth £119 annually. Perceval acted for the Crown
in the prosecutions of Thomas Paine (1792) and
John Horne Tooke (1794), and wrote pamphlets
supporting the impeachment of Warren Hastings.

Perceval's brother Lord Arden served in William
Pitt the Younger's government, which led to his
being noticed. He was considered in 1795 as a
possible Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant
for Ireland but rejected the idea of a political
career. However he accepted nomination as MP for
Northampton in 1796, when the proprietor's heir
was ineligible, as a family trust. He made several
speeches fiercely attacking Charles James Fox and
revolutionary politics, which impressed Pitt, who
apparently considered him as a possible successor.
He was appointed Solicitor of the Ordnance in
1798.

Perceval had no sympathy for Pitt's resignation
over Roman Catholic|Catholic relief after the Act
of Union with Ireland. He was therefore promoted
in Henry Addington, 1st Viscount
Sidmouth|Addington's government to be Solicitor
General from 1801, and then to Attorney General
from 1802. However, Perceval did not agree with
Addington's general policies (especially on
foreign policy), and confined himself to speeches
on legal issues. When he did defend the
government, he was vituperative. He retained
office when Pitt returned in 1804. While Perceval
instigated prosecutions of radicals, he also
reformed the laws on transportation to Australia.

At Pitt's funeral in January 1806, Perceval was
one of the emblem bearers. He went into opposition
when the new government included Fox, and made
many effective speeches against the 'Ministry of
All the Talents'. He was especially vehement in
his opposition to Catholic emancipation. When the
Ministry fell, the William Henry
Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland|Duke of
Portland put together a shaky coalition of senior
Tory|Tories with Perceval as Chancellor of the
Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. With
Portland aged, unwell and a figurehead, Perceval
was effectively the chief Minister. He even lived
at 10 Downing Street for most of the time.

It was under Perceval that William Wilberforce
passed his Bill abolishing the Slavery|slave
trade. When Napoleon I of France|Napoleon
Bonaparte embargoed British trade under the
Continental System, Perceval drafted Orders in
Council to retaliate against foreign trade.
However his anti-Catholic bigotry showed with his
opposition to the government grant to St Patrick's
College, Maynooth|Maynooth College. The government
was continuously riven with splits and when the
Duke of Portland suffered a stroke in August 1809
there was intense maneuvring between Perceval and
George Canning over who should take over. Perceval
won out with the support of Robert Stewart,
Viscount Castlereagh|Viscount Castlereagh.

Unable to include Canning and his allies,
Perceval's administration was notable mostly for
its lack of most of the more important statesmen
of the period. He had to serve as his own
Chancellor after obtaining six refusals of office.
The government sometimes struggled in the British
House of Commons|House of Commons, being defeated
in motions critical of both foreign and economic
policy. He remained adamantly opposed to reform of
the electoral system.

Perceval found himself having to cope with the
final descent of George III of the United
Kingdom|King George III into madness. Though
Perceval feared that the George IV of the United
Kingdom|Prince Regent would dismiss his
government, the Prince abandoned the Whigs and
confirmed Perceval in office; later attempts by
the Prince to entice others to join the Ministry
were unsuccessful. Perceval pursued the Peninsular
War doggedly and always defended it against those
who prophesied defeat.

The Orders in Council against trade which Perceval
had instituted in 1807 became unpopular in the
winter of 1811 with Luddite riots breaking out.
Perceval was forced to concede an inquiry by the
House of Commons. On May 11, 1812, Perceval was on
his way to attend the inquiry when he was shot
through the heart in the Lobby of the House of
Commons by John Bellingham. His assassin was
demanding compensation for his imprisonment in
Russia.

Perceval is buried at St Luke's Church in
Charlton, Greenwich|Charlton, south-east London.
==Spencer Perceval's Administration, October 1809
- May 1812==

*Spencer Perceval - First Lord of the Treasury,
Leader of the House of Commons, Chancellor of the
Exchequer and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
*John Scott, 1st Lord Eldon|Lord Eldon - Lord
Chancellor
*John Jeffreys Pratt, 2nd Earl Camden|Lord Camden
- Lord President of the Council
*John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland|Lord
Westmorland - Lord Privy Seal
*Richard Ryder (19th century politician)|Richard
Ryder - Secretary of State for the Home Department
*Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst|Lord Bathurst -
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and
President of the Board of Trade
*Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of
Liverpool|Lord Liverpool - Secretary of State for
War and the Colonies and Leader of the House of
Lords
*Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave|Lord Mulgrave
- First Lord of the Admiralty
*John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham|Lord Chatham -
Master-General of the Ordnance
===Changes===
*December, 1809 - Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess
Wellesley|Lord Wellesley succeeds Lord Bathurst as
Foreign Secretary.  Bathurst continues at the
Board of Trade.
*May, 1810 - Lord Mulgrave succeeds Lord Chatham
as Master-General of the Ordnance.  Charles Philip
Yorke succeeds Mulgrave as First Lord of the
Admiralty.
*March, 1812 - Robert Stewart, Viscount
Castlereagh|Lord Castlereagh succeeds Lord
Wellesley as Foreign Secretary.
*April, 1812 - Henry Addington, 1st Viscount
Sidmouth|Lord Sidmouth succeeds Lord Camden as
Lord President.  Camden remains in the cabinet as
a minister without portfolio.
start box
succession box | before=Sir William Grant |
title=Solicitor General for England and
Wales|Solicitor-General | years=1801–1802 |
after=Sir Thomas Manners Sutton
succession box | title=Attorney General for
England and Wales|Attorney-General | before=Edward
Law, 1st Baron Ellenborough|Sir Edward Law |
after=Sir Arthur Pigott | years=1802–1806
succession box | title=Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster | before=Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl
of Derby|The Earl of Derby | after= Robert Hobart,
4th Earl of Buckinghamshire|The Earl of
Buckinghamshire | years=1807–1812
succession box | title=Chancellor of the Exchequer
| before=Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of
Lansdowne|The Lord Henry Petty | after= Nicholas
Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley|Nicholas Vansittart |
years=1807–1812
succession box | title=Leader of the House of
Commons | before=Charles Grey, 2nd Earl
Grey|Viscount Howick | after= Robert Stewart,
Viscount Castlereagh|Viscount Castlereagh |
years=1807–1812
succession box | title=Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom|Prime Minister | before=William
Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland|The
Duke of Portland | after= Robert Jenkinson, 2nd
Earl of Liverpool|The Earl of Liverpool |
years=1809–1812
end box