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Viscount Goderich becomes Prime Minister after Canning's death

When
1827–1828
Where
Windsor Castle; London
Episodes
2

Following the death of George Canning in August 1827, F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, was appointed Prime Minister. Summoned to Windsor Castle, he formed a coalition government that lasted until January 1828. His tenure was brief, ranking among the shortest in British history alongside Canning.

Episodes

  1. 8 August 1827 · Windsor CastleAppointment at Windsor Castle

    On the day of Canning's death, Goderich was summoned to Windsor Castle where the King announced his intention to appoint him as Prime Minister.

  2. September 1827 – January 1828 · LondonFormation of Goderich's Government

    Goderich formed a coalition government that lasted from September 1827 to January 1828, succeeding Canning's administration.

Background and detail

Background. F. J. Robinson, known as Viscount Goderich, was a member of the rural landowning aristocracy who entered politics through family connections. In January 1827, he received a peerage and served as Leader of the House of Lords and Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. His appointment as Prime Minister followed the death of George Canning, who had served only 119 days in office.

Succession and Appointment. George Canning died on 8 August 1827. On the day of his death, Goderich and Home Secretary William Sturges Bourne were summoned to Windsor Castle, where King George IV announced his intention to appoint Goderich as Prime Minister. This transition occurred after Canning's government of Tories and Whigs began to fall apart.

Formation of Ministry. Goderich's government operated from September 1827 to January 1828. The King's contempt for Goderich was evident in his description of him as a "damned, snivelling, blubbering blockhead." By January 1828, the King concluded that the coalition could not continue, preferring a Tory ministry under Wellington.

People involved

Sources

  1. F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-03
  2. George Canning Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.