Robert Cecil, son of the 2nd Marquis of Salisbury, was born at Hatfield
House in 1830. Cecil was educated at Eton
and Christ Church, Oxford.
A supporter of the Conservative Party
Cecil was elected to represent Stamford in 1853. He was granted the
title of Lord Cranborne on the death of his brother in 1865. Cranborne
played an important role in the defeat of the Parliamentary Reform
Bill proposed by William Gladstone in
1866.
After Gladstone was forced to resign from office, Cranborne became
Secretary for India in Lord Derby's government. He strongly opposed
the proposal by Benjamin Disraeli to
introduce his own parliamentary reform bill. When he realised he was
unable to stop Disraeli's 1867 Reform Act
he resigned from the cabinet.
In 1868 Robert Cecil succeeded his father as the 3rd Marquis of Salisbury.
In 1874 Salisbury returned to government as Benjamin Disraeli's Secretary
for India. Four years later he replaced Lord
Derby as Foreign Secretary.
On the death of Benjamin Disraeli in
1878 the Marquis of Salisbury became leader of the Conservative
Party. However, he had to wait until the general election of 1885
before he became Prime Minister. He was replaced by William
Gladstone briefly in 1886 but also headed the Conservative
governments between 1886-92 and 1895-1902. Salisbury supported the
policies that led to the Boer War (1899-1902).
The Marquis of Salisbury retired from public life in July 1902 and
died the following year.
(1)
Marquis of Salisbury, letter to Lord Randolf Churchill (7th November,
1886)
We have to give some satisfaction to both the upper classes and the
masses. This is especially difficult with the upper classes - because
all legislation is rather unwelcome to them, as tending to disturb
a state of things with which they are satisfied. It is evident, therefore,
that we must work at less speed and at a lower temperature than our
opponents. Our bills must be tentative and cautious, not sweeping
and dramatic.
(2)
G. C. Bartley, a Conservative Party Agent, was angry when the Marquis
of Salisbury's Cabinet included two of his nephews (22nd October,
1898)
It becomes clearer after every appointment that though men may work
their hearts out and make every sacrifice financial and otherwise
when the Conservative party is in opposition and in difficulties,
yet in prosperous times all is forgotten and all honours, emoluments
and places are reserved for the friends and relations of the favoured
few, many of whom were in the nursery while some of us were fighting
uphill battles for the party.
(3)
J. A. Gorst, helped to reorganise the Conservative Party in the 1870s.
In The Fortnightly Review in 1882 he wrote an article called
Tory Democracy.
Unfortunately for Conservatism, its leaders belong solely to one class;
they are a clique composed of members of the aristocracy, land-owners,
and adherents whose chief merit is subserviency. The party chiefs
live in an atmosphere in which a sense of their own importance and
of the importance of their class interests and privileges is exaggerated,
and to which the opinions of the common people can scarcely penetrate.
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