Henry Addington (30 May 1757 – 15 February 1844), also known as Lord Sidmouth, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 14 March 1801 to 10 May 1804, interrupting William Pitt the Younger's two terms. He was a member of the reactionary Tory Party.
Biography[]
Henry Addington was born in Holborn, Middlesex, England on 30 May 1757, the son of William Pitt the Elder's physician Anthony Addington. He studied law at Lincoln's Inn before being elected to the House of Commons in 1784 as an MP for Devizes. In 1789, he became Speaker of the House, and he became Prime Minister after William Pitt the Younger's resignation in 1801 due to poor health, defeat in the French Revolutionary Wars, and political unrest. Addington's ministry saw to it that peace was made between the United Kingdom and France, and he cultivated better relations with the Russian Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, and Prussia in order to form a Third Coalition against Napoleon I. Despite having the support of King George III, Addington lacked support in the House of Lords and the House of Commons, forcing him to resign in 1804. In 1812, he became Home Secretary, and he was responsible for suspending habeas corpus in 1817 and passed the Six Acts in 1819 in response to the Peterloo massacre. He left office in 1822, with Robert Peel replacing him, and he remained in the government as a Minister without Portfolio; he failed to convince the government to oppose South American independence. He died in London in 1844 at the age of 86.