Portrait |
Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office |
Party |
Ministry |
|
 |
Edward Seymour Lord Seymour MP for Totnes (1804–1885) |
1 August 1851 |
21 February 1852 |
Whig |
Russell I |
|
 |
Lord John Manners MP for Colchester (1818–1906) |
4 March 1852 |
17 December 1852 |
Conservative |
Who? Who? |
|
 |
Sir William Molesworth, Bt MP for Southwark (1810–1855) |
5 January 1853 |
21 July 1855 |
Radical |
Aberdeen (Peelite–Whig) |
|
 |
Sir Benjamin Hall, Bt MP for Marylebone (1802–1867) |
21 July 1855 |
21 February 1858 |
Whig |
Palmerston I |
|
 |
Lord John Manners MP for Leicestershire North (1818–1906) |
26 February 1858 |
11 June 1859 |
Conservative |
Derby–Disraeli II |
|
 |
Henry FitzRoy MP for Lewes (1807–1859) |
18 June 1859 |
17 December 1859 |
Liberal |
Palmerston II |
|
 |
William Cowper MP for Hertford (1811–1888) |
9 February 1860 |
26 June 1866 |
Liberal |
Russell II |
|
 |
Lord John Manners MP for Leicestershire North (1818–1906) |
6 July 1866 |
1 December 1868 |
Conservative |
Derby–Disraeli III |
|
 |
Austen Henry Layard MP for Southwark (1817–1894) |
9 December 1868 |
26 October 1869 |
Liberal |
Gladstone I |
|
 |
Acton Smee Ayrton MP for Tower Hamlets (1816–1886) |
26 October 1869 |
11 August 1873 |
Liberal |
|
 |
William Patrick Adam MP for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (1823–1881) |
11 August 1873 |
17 February 1874 |
Liberal |
|
 |
Lord Henry Lennox MP for Chichester (1821–1886) |
21 March 1874 |
14 August 1876 |
Conservative |
Disraeli II |
|
 |
Gerard Noel MP for Rutland (1823–1911) |
14 August 1876 |
21 April 1880 |
Conservative |
|
 |
William Patrick Adam MP for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (1823–1881) |
3 May 1880 |
1880 |
Liberal |
Gladstone II |
|
 |
George Shaw Lefevre MP for Reading (1831–1928) |
29 November 1881 |
13 February 1885 |
Liberal |
|
 |
Archibald Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery (1847–1929) |
13 February 1885 |
9 June 1885 |
Liberal |
|
 |
David Plunket MP for Dublin University (1838–1919) |
24 June 1885 |
28 January 1886 |
Conservative |
Salisbury I |
|
 |
Albert Parker 3rd Earl of Morley (1843–1905) |
17 February 1886 |
16 April 1886 |
Liberal |
Gladstone III |
|
 |
Victor Bruce 9th Earl of Elgin (1849–1917) |
16 April 1886 |
20 July 1886 |
Liberal |
|
 |
David Plunket MP for Dublin University (1838–1919) |
5 August 1886 |
11 August 1892 |
Conservative |
Salisbury II |
|
 |
George Shaw Lefevre MP for Bradford Central (1831–1928) |
18 August 1892 |
10 March 1894 |
Liberal |
Gladstone IV |
|
 |
Herbert Gladstone MP for Leeds West (1854–1930) |
10 March 1894 |
21 June 1895 |
Liberal |
Rosebery |
|
 |
Aretas Akers-Douglas MP for St Augustine's (1851–1926) |
4 July 1895 |
11 August 1902 |
Conservative |
Salisbury (III & IV) (Con.–Lib.U.) |
|
 |
Robert Windsor-Clive 14th Baron Windsor (1857–1923) |
11 August 1902 |
4 December 1905 |
Conservative |
Balfour (Con.–Lib.U.) |
|
 |
Lewis Vernon Harcourt MP for Rossendale (1863–1922) |
10 December 1905 |
3 November 1910 |
Liberal |
Campbell-Bannerman |
Asquith (I–III) |
|
 |
William Lygon 7th Earl Beauchamp (1872–1938) |
3 November 1910 |
6 August 1914 |
Liberal |
|
 |
Alfred Emmott 1st Baron Emmott (1858–1926) |
6 August 1914 |
25 May 1915 |
Liberal |
|
 |
Lewis Vernon Harcourt MP for Rossendale (1863–1922) |
25 May 1915 |
10 December 1916 |
Liberal |
Asquith Coalition (Lib.–Con.–Lab.) |
|
 |
Sir Alfred Mond, Bt MP for Swansea West (1868–1930) [a] |
10 December 1916 |
1 April 1921 |
Liberal |
Lloyd George (I & II) (Lib.–Con.–Lab.) |
|
 |
David Lindsay 27th Earl of Crawford (1871–1940) |
1 April 1921 |
19 October 1922 |
Conservative |
|
 |
Sir John Baird, Bt MP for Ayr Burghs (1874–1941) |
31 October 1922 |
22 January 1924 |
Conservative |
Law |
Baldwin I |
|
 |
Fred Jowett MP for Bradford East (1864–1944) |
22 January 1924 |
3 November 1924 |
Labour |
MacDonald I |
|
 |
William Wellesley Peel 2nd Viscount Peel (1867–1937) |
10 November 1924 |
18 October 1928 |
Conservative |
Baldwin II |
|
 |
Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart 7th Marquess of Londonderry (1878–1949) |
18 October 1928 |
4 June 1929 |
Conservative |
|
 |
George Lansbury MP for Bow and Bromley (1859–1940) |
7 June 1929 |
24 August 1931 |
Labour |
MacDonald II |
|
 |
Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart 7th Marquess of Londonderry (1878–1949) |
25 August 1931 |
5 November 1931 |
Conservative |
National I (N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.) |
|
 |
William Ormsby-Gore MP for Stafford (1885–1964) |
5 November 1931 |
16 June 1936 |
Conservative |
National II (N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.) |
National III (Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.) |
|
 |
James Stanhope 7th Earl Stanhope (1880–1967) |
16 June 1936 |
27 May 1937 |
Conservative |
|
 |
Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt MP for Hythe (1888–1939) |
27 May 1937 |
7 June 1939 |
Conservative |
National IV (Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.) |
|
 |
Herwald Ramsbotham MP for Lancaster (1887–1971) |
7 June 1939 |
3 April 1940 |
Conservative |
Chamberlain War (Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.) |
|
 |
Herbrand Sackville 9th Earl De La Warr (1900–1976) |
3 April 1940 |
18 May 1940 |
National Labour |
|
 |
George Tryon 1st Baron Tryon (1871–1940) |
18 May 1940 |
3 October 1940 |
Conservative |
Churchill War (All parties) |