Spencer Perceval | |
|---|---|
 Posthumous portrait by G. F. Joseph, 1812 | |
| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
| In office 4 October 1809 – 11 May 1812 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Regent | George, Prince Regent (1811–12) |
| Preceded by | The Duke of Portland |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Liverpool |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
| In office 26 March 1807 – 11 May 1812 | |
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Lord Henry Petty |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Vansittart |
| Leader of the House of Commons | |
| In office April 1807 – 11 May 1812 | |
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | The Viscount Howick |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Castlereagh |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | |
| In office 30 March 1807 – 11 May 1812 | |
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | The Earl of Derby |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Buckinghamshire |
| Attorney General for England and Wales | |
| In office 15 April 1802 – 12 February 1806 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Sir Edward Law |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Piggott |
| Solicitor General for England and Wales | |
| In office 1801–1802 | |
| Prime Minister | Henry Addington |
| Preceded by | Sir William Grant |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Manners-Sutton |
| Member of Parliament for Northampton | |
| In office 9 May 1796 – 11 May 1812 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Compton |
| Succeeded by | Spencer Compton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 November 1762 Mayfair, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 11 May 1812 (aged 49) Westminster, Middlesex, England |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Resting place | St Luke's Church, Charlton |
| Political party | Tory |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 13, including Spencer and John Thomas |
| Parent |
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| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Signature |  |
Spencer Perceval KC (1 November 1762 – 11 May 1812) was a British statesman and barrister who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1809 until his assassination in May 1812. He is the only British prime minister to have been assassinated, and the only solicitor-general or attorney-general to have become prime minister.
The younger son of an Anglo-Irish earl, Perceval was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He studied law at Lincoln's Inn, practised as a barrister on the Midland circuit, and in 1796 became a King's Counsel. He entered politics at age 33 as a member of Parliament (MP) for Northampton. A follower of William Pitt the Younger, Perceval always described himself as a "friend of Mr. Pitt", rather than a Tory. He was opposed to Catholic emancipation and reform of Parliament; he supported the war against Napoleon and the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.
After a late entry into politics, his rise to power was rapid; he was appointed as Solicitor General and then Attorney General for England and Wales in the Addington ministry, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons in the second Portland ministry, and then became prime minister in 1809. At the head of a weak government, Perceval faced a number of crises during his term in office, including an inquiry into the Walcheren expedition, the mental illness and incapacity of King George III, economic depression, and Luddite riots. He overcame those crises, successfully pursued the Peninsular War in the face of opposition defeatism, and won the support of the Prince Regent. His position was stronger by early 1812, when, in the lobby of the House of Commons, he was assassinated by John Bellingham, a merchant with a grievance against his government. Bellingham was hanged one week later.
Perceval had four older brothers who survived to adulthood. Through expiry of their male-line, male heirs, the earldom of Egmont passed to one of his great-grandsons in the early 20th century and became extinct in 2011.