First Lord of the Admiralty

First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the direction and control of the Admiralty, and also of general administration of the Naval Service of the Kingdom of England, Great Britain in the 18th century, and then the United Kingdom, including the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, and other services. It was one of the earliest known permanent government posts. Apart from being the political head of the Naval Service the post holder was simultaneously the pre-eminent member of the Board of Admiralty. The office of First Lord of the Admiralty existed from 1628 until it was abolished when the Admiralty, Air Ministry, Ministry of Defence and War Office were all merged to form the new Ministry of Defence in 1964. Its modern-day equivalent is the Secretary of State for Defence.

First Lord of the Admiralty
Royal Arms of HM Government
Department of the Admiralty
Status	Abolished
Member of	Board of Admiralty Cabinet
Reports to	Prime Minister
Nominator	Prime Minister
Appointer	Prime Minister Subject to formal approval by the King-in-Council
Term length	Not fixed typically 3–7 years
Formation	1628
First holder	The 1st Earl of Portland
Final holder	The 2nd Earl Jellicoe
Abolished	1964
Superseded by	Secretary of State for Defence

History

In 1628, during the reign of Charles I, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, Lord High Admiral of England, was assassinated and the office was placed in commission, under the control of a Board of Commissioners.

The first such First Lord of the Admiralty was Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland, who was appointed in 1628. The First Lord was not always a permanent member of the board until the Admiralty Department was established as an official government department in 1709 with the First Lord as its head; it replaced the earlier Office of the Admiralty and Marine Affairs. During most of the 17th century and the early 18th century, it was not invariable for the Admiralty to be in commission, so there are gaps in the list of First Lords, and a small number of First Lords were for a time Lord High Admiral.

After the Glorious Revolution, during the reign of William and Mary, Parliament passed the Admiralty Act 1690 (2 Will. & Mar. Sess. 2. c. 2), vesting in the commissioners the powers formerly held by the Lord High Admiral of England. and at this point became a permanent Cabinet position.

The Admiralty Commission was dissolved in 1701, but was reconstituted in 1709 on the death of Prince George of Denmark, who had been appointed Lord High Admiral. The office has been held in commission from that time onwards, however, except for a short period (1827–28) when the Duke of Clarence was Lord High Admiral. The Board of the Admiralty comprised a number of "Lords Commissioners" headed by a First Lord.

From the early 1800s the post was always held by a civilian (previously flag officers of the Royal Navy also held the post). In 1832 First Lord Sir James Graham instituted reforms and amalgamated the Board of Admiralty and the Navy Board. By the provisions of the Admiralty Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 40), two lords in committee could legalise any action of the board.

In 1868 Prime Minister, William Gladstone appointed Hugh Childers First Lord, who would introduce a new system at the Admiralty. However these changes restricted communication between the board members who were affected by these new regulations, and the sittings of the Board were discontinued altogether. This situation described was further exacerbated by the disaster of HMS Captain in 1870, a poorly-designed new vessel for the navy.

The responsibility and powers of the First Lord of the Admiralty were laid down by an Order in Council dated 14 January 1869, and a later Order (19 March 1872) made the First Lord responsible to the Sovereign and to Parliament for all the business of the Admiralty. However, by describing the Lords of the Admiralty as the "assistants" of the First Lord, and by specifically defining their duties, this had, in fact, partially disabled the collective power of the Board.

In 1931, for the first time since 1709, the First Lord was not a member of the cabinet.

In 1946, the three posts of Secretary of State for War, First Lord of the Admiralty, and Secretary of State for Air became formally subordinated to that of Minister of Defence, which had itself been created in 1940 for the co-ordination of defence and security issues.

In 1964, the office of First Lord of the Admiralty was abolished, the last holder being George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, whose father, Admiral of the Fleet John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, had served as First Sea Lord nearly 50 years earlier. The functions of the Lords Commissioners were then transferred to an Admiralty Board, which forms part of the tri-service Defence Council of the United Kingdom.

Principal political leaders of the English/British Armed Forces:

	Royal Navy	British Army	Royal Air Force	Co-ordination
1628	First Lord of the Admiralty (1628–1964)
1794		Secretary of State for War (1794–1801)
1801		Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (1801–1854)
1854		Secretary of State for War (1854–1964)
1919			Secretary of State for Air (1919–1964)
1936				Minister for Co-ordination of Defence (1936–1940)
1940				Minister of Defence (1940–1964)
1964	Secretary of State for Defence (1964–present)

List of First Lords of the Admiralty

First Lords of the Admiralty of England (1628–1701)

First Lord of the Admiralty		Term of office
	Richard Weston 1st Earl of Portland	1628	1635
	Robert Bertie 1st Earl of Lindsey	1635	1636
	William Juxon Bishop of London (1582–1663)	1636	1638
	Algernon Percy 10th Earl of Northumberland	1642	1643
	Francis Cottington 1st Baron Cottington	1643	1646
	Prince Rupert of the Rhine	1673	1679
	Sir Henry Capell MP for Tewkesbury	1679	1681
	Daniel Finch 2nd Earl of Nottingham	1681	1684
	Arthur Herbert 1st Earl of Torrington	1689	1690
	Thomas Herbert 8th Earl of Pembroke	1690	1692
	Charles Cornwallis 3rd Baron Cornwallis	1692	1693
	Anthony Cary 5th Viscount Falkland	1693	1694
	Edward Russell 1st Earl of Orford	1694	1699
	John Egerton 3rd Earl of Bridgewater	1699	1701
	Thomas Herbert 8th Earl of Pembroke	1701	1702

Senior Members of the Lord High Admiral's Council (1702–1709)

Senior Member		Term of office
	Sir George Rooke	1702	1705
	Sir David Mitchell	1705	1708
	David Wemyss 4th Earl of Wemyss	1708	1709

First Lords of the Admiralty of Great Britain (1709–1801)

First Lord of the Admiralty		Term of office		Ministry	Monarch
	Edward Russell 1st Earl of Orford	1709	1710	Godolphin–Marlborough (Tory–Whig)	Anne
	Admiral of the Fleet John Leake MP for Rochester	1710	1712	Oxford–Bolingbroke
	Thomas Wentworth 1st Earl of Strafford	1712	1714
					George I
	Edward Russell 1st Earl of Orford	1714	1716	Townshend
	James Berkeley 3rd Earl of Berkeley	1717	1727	Stanhope–Sunderland I
				Stanhope–Sunderland II
				Walpole–Townshend
					George II
	George Byng 1st Viscount Torrington	1727	1733
				Walpole
	Charles Wager MP for Westminster	1733	1741
	Daniel Finch 8th Earl of Winchilsea	1741	1744
				Carteret
	John Russell 4th Duke of Bedford	1744	1748	Broad Bottom (I & II)
	John Montagu 4th Earl of Sandwich	1748	1751
	George Anson 1st Baron Anson	1751	1756
				Newcastle I
	Richard Grenville-Temple 2nd Earl Temple	1756	1757	Pitt–Devonshire
	Daniel Finch 8th Earl of Winchilsea	1757	1757	1757 Caretaker
	George Anson 1st Baron Anson	1757	1762	Pitt–Newcastle
					George III
	George Montague-Dunk 2nd Earl of Halifax	1762	1762	Bute (Tory–Whig)
	George Grenville MP for Buckingham	1762	1763
	John Montagu 4th Earl of Sandwich	1763	1763	Grenville
	John Perceval 2nd Earl of Egmont	1763	1766
				Rockingham I
				Chatham (Whig–Tory)
	Charles Saunders MP for Hedon	1766	1766
	Edward Hawke MP for Portsmouth	1766	1771
				Grafton
				North
	John Montagu 4th Earl of Sandwich	1771	1782
	Augustus Keppel 1st Viscount Keppel	1782	1783	Rockingham II
				Shelburne (Whig–Tory)
	Richard Howe 5th Viscount Howe	1783	1783
	Augustus Keppel 1st Viscount Keppel	1783	1783	Fox–North
	Richard Howe 5th Viscount Howe	1783	1788	Pitt I
	John Pitt 2nd Earl of Chatham	1788	1794
	George Spencer 2nd Earl Spencer	1794	1801

First Lords of the Admiralty of the United Kingdom (1801–1964)

First Lord of the Admiralty			Term of office		Party	Ministry	Monarch (Reign)
		John Jervis 1st Earl of St Vincent	1801	1804	Whig	Pitt I	George III
						Addington
		Henry Dundas 1st Viscount Melville	1804	1805	Tory	Pitt II
		Charles Middleton 1st Baron Barham	1805	1806	Tory
		Charles Grey Viscount Howick MP for Northumberland	1806	1806	Whig	All the Talents (Whig–Tory)
		Thomas Grenville MP for Buckingham	1806	1807	Whig
		Henry Phipps 3rd Baron Mulgrave	1807	1810	Tory	Portland II
						Perceval
		Charles Philip Yorke MP for St Germans	1810	1812	Tory
		Robert Dundas 2nd Viscount Melville	1812	1827	Tory	Liverpool
							George IV
		Prince William Henry Duke of Clarence Lord High Admiral	1827	1828	—	Canning (Canningite–Whig)
						Goderich
		Robert Dundas 2nd Viscount Melville	1828	1830	Tory	Wellington–Peel
							William IV
		James Graham MP for East Cumberland	1830	1834	Whig	Grey
		George Eden 2nd Baron Auckland	1834	1834	Whig
						Melbourne I
						Wellington Caretaker
		Thomas Robinson 2nd Earl de Grey	1834	1835	Conservative	Peel I
		George Eden 2nd Baron Auckland	1835	1835	Whig	Melbourne II
		Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound 2nd Earl of Minto	1835	1841	Whig
							Victoria
		Thomas Hamilton 9th Earl of Haddington	1841	1846	Conservative	Peel II
		Edward Law 1st Earl of Ellenborough	1846	1846	Conservative
		George Eden 1st Earl of Auckland	1846	1849	Whig	Russell I
		Francis Baring MP for Portsmouth	1849	1852	Whig
		Algernon Percy 4th Duke of Northumberland	1852	1852	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli I
		James Graham MP for Carlisle	1852	1855	Peelite	Aberdeen (Peelite–Whig)
						Palmerston I
		Charles Wood Bt GCB MP for Halifax	1855	1858	Whig
		John Pakington MP for Droitwich	1858	1859	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli II
		His Grace Edward Seymour 12th Duke of Somerset	1859	1866	Liberal	Palmerston II
						Russell II
		John Pakington MP for Droitwich	1866	1867	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli III
		Henry Lowry-Corry MP for Tyrone	1867	1868	Conservative
		Hugh Childers MP for Pontefract	1868	1871	Liberal	Gladstone I
		George Goschen MP for City of London	1871	1874	Liberal
		George Ward Hunt MP for Northamptonshire North	1874	1877	Conservative	Disraeli II
		William Henry Smith MP for Westminster	1877	1880	Conservative
		Thomas Baring 1st Earl of Northbrook	1880	1885	Liberal	Gladstone II
		Lord George Hamilton MP for Ealing	1885	1886	Conservative	Salisbury I
		George Robinson 1st Marquess of Ripon	1886	1886	Liberal	Gladstone III
		Lord George Hamilton MP for Ealing	1886	1892	Conservative	Salisbury II
		John Spencer 5th Earl Spencer	1892	1895	Liberal	Gladstone IV
						Rosebery
		George Goschen MP for St George Hanover Square	1895	1900	Conservative	Salisbury (III & IV) (Con.–Lib.U.)
		William Palmer 2nd Earl of Selborne	1900	1905	Liberal Unionist
							Edward VII
						Balfour
		Frederick Campbell 3rd Earl Cawdor	1905	1905	Conservative
		Edward Marjoribanks 2nd Lord Tweedmouth	1905	1908	Liberal	Campbell-Bannerman
		Reginald McKenna MP for North Monmouthshire	1908	1911	Liberal	Asquith (I–III)
							George V
		Winston Churchill MP for Dundee	1911	1915	Liberal
		Arthur Balfour MP for City of London	1915	1916	Conservative	Asquith Coalition (Lib.–Con.–et al.)
		Edward Carson MP for Dublin University	1916	1917	Conservative	Lloyd George (I & II)
		Eric Geddes MP for Cambridge	1917	1919	Conservative
		Walter Long MP for Westminster St George's	1919	1921	Conservative
		Arthur Lee 1st Baron Lee of Fareham	1921	1922	Conservative
		Leo Amery MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook	1922	1924	Conservative	Law
						Baldwin I
		Frederic Thesiger 1st Viscount Chelmsford	1924	1924	Independent	MacDonald I
		William Clive Bridgeman	1924	1929	Conservative	Baldwin II
		A. V. Alexander MP for Sheffield Hillsborough	1929	1931	Labour (Co-op)	MacDonald II
		Austen Chamberlain MP for Birmingham West	1931	1931	Conservative	National I (N.Lab.–Con.–et al.)
		Bolton Eyres-Monsell 1st Viscount Monsell	1931	1936	Conservative	National II
						National III (Con.–N.Lab.–et al.)
							Edward VIII
		Samuel Hoare MP for Chelsea	1936	1937	Conservative
							George VI
		Duff Cooper MP for Westminster St George's	1937	1938	Conservative	National IV
		James Stanhope 7th Earl Stanhope	1938	1939	Conservative
		Winston Churchill MP for Epping	1939	1940	Conservative	Chamberlain War
		A. V. Alexander MP for Sheffield Hillsborough	1940	1945	Labour (Co-op)	Churchill War (All parties)
		Brendan Bracken MP for Paddington North	1945	1945	Conservative	Churchill Caretaker (Con.–N.Lib.)
		A. V. Alexander MP for Sheffield Hillsborough	1945	1946	Labour (Co-op)	Attlee (I & II)
		George Hall 1st Viscount Hall	1946	1951	Labour
		Frank Pakenham 1st Baron Pakenham	1951	1951	Labour
		James Thomas 1st Viscount Cilcennin	1951	1956	Conservative	Churchill III
							Elizabeth II
						Eden
		Quintin Hogg 2nd Viscount Hailsham	1956	1957	Conservative
		George Douglas-Hamilton 10th Earl of Selkirk	1957	1959	Conservative	Macmillan (I & II)
		Peter Carington 6th Baron Carrington	1959	1963	Conservative
		George Jellicoe 2nd Earl Jellicoe	1963	1964	Conservative	Douglas-Home

From 1 April 1964, Queen Elizabeth II assumed the title of Lord High Admiral. Ministerial responsibility for the Royal Navy was transferred to the newly created Secretary of State for Defence.

Notes:

1. Baron Weston from 1628, created Earl of Portland in 1633.
2. Lord High Admiral 1638–1642.
3. Lord High Admiral 1689.
4. MP for Portsmouth until 1734; MP for Westminster from 1734.
5. As Lord High Admiral .
6. MP for Cumberland until 1832; MP for East Cumberland from 1832
7. MP for Oswestry
8. MP for Evesham until 1935; thereafter created Viscount Monsell.
9. MP for Hereford until 1955; thereafter created Viscount Cilcennin.

Boards, departments and offices under the First Lord

• Admiralty and Marine Affairs Office (1628–1709)
• Admiralty Department (1709–1964)
• Board of Admiralty (1628–1964)
• Navy Board (1628–1832)
• Sick and Hurt Board (1653–1806)
• Transport Board (1690–1724, 1794–1817)
• Victualling Board (1683–1832)
• Office of the Civil Lord of the Admiralty
• Office of the Senior Naval Lord (1689–1771)
• Office of the First Naval Lord (1771–1904)
• Office of the First Sea Lord (1904–1917)
• Office of the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff (1917–1964)
• Office of the Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty (1800–1910)
• Office of the Naval Secretary (1910–1964)
• Office of the Secretary to the Admiralty (1660–1763)
• Office of the First Secretary to the Admiralty (1763–1871)
• Office of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty (1871–1886)
• Office of the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty (1886–1959)
• Office of the Permanent Secretary to the Admiralty (1882–1964)

Fictional First Lords

The "Radical" First Lord, and a major character, in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), is Sir Joseph Henry Porter. W. S. Gilbert wrote to Arthur Sullivan he did not intend to portray the real-life then First Lord, the bookseller and newsagent W. H. Smith, a Conservative, although some of the public, including Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (who later referred to Smith as "Pinafore Smith"), identified Porter with him. The counterparts shared a known lack of naval background. It has been suggested the character was drawn on Smith's actual "Radical" predecessor of 1868–71, Hugh Childers.

Sources

• Bell, Christopher M. "Sir John Fisher's Naval Revolution Reconsidered: Winston Churchill at the Admiralty, 1911–1914." War in History 18.3 (2011): 333–356. online^{[dead link]}
• Hamilton, C. I. (2011). The Making of the Modern Admiralty: British Naval Policy-Making, 1805–1927. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521765183.
• Rodger, N. A. M., The Admiralty (Lavenham, 1979)
• Sainty, J. C. Admiralty Officials, 1660–1870 (London, 1975)