Henry Addington 1st Viscount Sidmouth
Tory 1801 to 1804
“In youth, the absence of pleasure is pain, in old age the absence of pain is pleasure.”
Born
30 May 1757, Holborn, London
Died
15 February 1844, London, buried Mortlake, Surrey
Dates in office
1801 to 1804
Political party
Tory
Major acts
Treaty of Amiens 1802: temporarily ended hostilities between UK and France.
Interesting facts
Son of The Elder Pitt’s Physician Anthony Addington.
Biography
Henry Addington’s historical reputation owes less to his brief spell as Prime Minister than to his later career as a famously reactionary Home Secretary after becoming Viscount Sidmouth.
However, his achievement as premier during a difficult period of international conflict has been underestimated. He rose to the premiership from a family background in the lesser gentry and professions, and he can claim to have delivered the first budget speech. His time in office marked significant developments in the evolution of British government and the British governing class.
Read more about Henry Addington on the History of government blog.