| Term of Office: | March, 1894 - June, 1895 | |
| PM Predecessor: | William Gladstone | |
| PM Successor: | Lord Salisbury | |
| Date of Birth: | 7 May 1847 | |
| Place of Birth: | London, England | |
| Political Party: | Liberal | |
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery (May 7, 1847 - May 21, 1929). British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister. Also known as Archibald Primrose (1847-1851), Lord Dalmeny (1851-1868).
After an education at Eton College and Oxford, Dalmeny succeeded to his grandfather's Scottish earldom in 1868. Becoming involved in politics, he became a Liberal, and was involved in Gladstone's Midlothian Campaign, which brought the Liberals back into power in 1880. In the Liberal administration that followed, Rosebery served in junior offices, including that of Undersecretary of State for the Home Department, before entering the Cabinet as Lord Privy Seal in March, 1885.
Rosebery became a leader of the Liberal Imperialist faction of the Liberal Party, and in Gladstone's third (February - July 1886) and fourth (August 1892 to March 1894) administrations, Rosebery served as Foreign Secretary. When Gladstone retired in 1894, Rosebery became his successor as Prime Minister, much to the disgust of Sir William Harcourt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and leader of the more left-wing Liberals. Rosebery's government was largely unsuccessful - his designs in foreign policy, such as expansion of the fleet, were defeated by disagreements within the Liberal Party, while the Tory dominated House of Lords stopped the whole of the Liberals' domestic legislation. On June 21, 1895, Rosebery resigned, and a conservative government under Lord Salisbury, took his place.
Rosebery resigned as leader of the Liberal Party on October 8, 1896, to be succeeded by Harcourt, and gradually moved further and further from the mainstream of the party, supporting the Boer War and opposing Irish Home Rule, a position which prevented him from participating in the Liberal government that returned to power in 1905. In his later years, Rosebery turned to writing, including biographies of Lord Chatham, Pitt the Younger, Napoleon, and Lord Randolph Churchill. He was also noted for his champion racehourses.
Lord Rosebery's Government, March 1894 - June 1895
Changes
Preceded by:
William Gladstone
1892-1894
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1894-1895
Followed by:
Lord Salisbury
1895-1902
Preceded by:
Archibald John Primrose
Earl of Rosebery
Followed by:
Albert Primrose