William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne

The Right Honourable The Viscount Melbourne PC PC (Ire) FRS
Portrait of Lord Melbourne by John Partridge, 1844
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 18 April 1835 – 30 August 1841
Monarchs	William IV Victoria
Preceded by	Robert Peel
Succeeded by	Robert Peel
In office 16 July 1834 – 14 November 1834
Monarch	William IV
Preceded by	The Earl Grey
Succeeded by	The Duke of Wellington
Leader of the Opposition
In office 30 August 1841 – October 1842
Preceded by	Robert Peel
Succeeded by	Lord John Russell
In office 14 November 1834 – 18 April 1835
Preceded by	The Duke of Wellington
Succeeded by	Robert Peel
Leader of the House of Lords
In office 18 April 1835 – 30 August 1841
Preceded by	The Duke of Wellington
Succeeded by	The Duke of Wellington
In office 16 July 1834 – 14 November 1834
Preceded by	The Earl Grey
Succeeded by	The Duke of Wellington
Home Secretary
In office 22 November 1830 – 16 July 1834
Preceded by	Robert Peel
Succeeded by	The Viscount Duncannon
Chief Secretary for Ireland
In office 29 April 1827 – 21 June 1828
Preceded by	Henry Goulburn
Succeeded by	Lord Francis Leveson-Gower
Personal details
Born	Henry William Lamb[1][2] (1779-03-15)15 March 1779 London, England
Died	24 November 1848(1848-11-24) (aged 69) Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire, England
Resting place	St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield
Political party	Whig
Spouse	Lady Caroline Ponsonby ​ ​ (m. 1805; died 1828)​
Children	Stillborn child George Augustus Frederick A daughter
Parents	Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne Elizabeth Milbanke
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge University of Glasgow
Signature

Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne PC, PC (Ire), FRS (15 March 1779 – 24 November 1848) was a British Whig politician who served as the Home Secretary and twice as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

His first premiership ended when he was dismissed by King William IV in 1834, the last British prime minister to be dismissed by a monarch. Five months later, he was re-appointed and served for six more years, into the reign of Queen Victoria. He is best known for helping Victoria settle into her role as Queen, acting almost as her private secretary, and the political scandals that resulted from it, most notably the Bedchamber Crisis. His legacy as prime minister was not favourable, as he had no great foreign wars or domestic issues to handle, and he was involved in several political scandals in the early years of Victoria's reign.