Spencer Horatio Walpole

Spencer Horatio Walpole was born on 11 September 1806 and died on 22 May 1898. He was a British politician associated with the Conservative Party, serving three terms as Home Secretary during the administrations led by Lord Derby.

He was the second son of Thomas Walpole and Lady Margaret Perceval. Lady Margaret was the youngest daughter of the 2nd Earl of Egmont and a sister of Spencer Perceval, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His paternal grandfather was Thomas Walpole, the son of the diplomat and politician the 1st Baron Walpole, who was the younger brother of the 1st Earl of Orford, also a Prime Minister.

Walpole received his early education at Eton College and later attended Trinity College, Cambridge. He pursued a career in law, being called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1831. He established a successful legal practice and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1846.

In the same year, Walpole entered politics, being elected as a Member of Parliament for Midhurst as a Tory. He held this seat until 1856. During his time in Parliament, he gained recognition for his work in the House of Commons. In 1852, when the Tories formed a government under Lord Derby, Walpole was appointed Home Secretary, a position he held during the so-called "Who? Who? Ministry." He was also admitted to the Privy Council at this time. The government resigned in December 1852.

Walpole was appointed in 1854 to the Royal Commission for Consolidating the Statute Law, tasked with reviewing existing statutes and legislation regarding English law. In 1856, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Cambridge University.

The Conservative government returned to power in 1858 under Lord Derby. Walpole was reappointed as Home Secretary but resigned in January 1859 due to disagreements over electoral reform policies. The government was dismissed in July of that year.

The Conservatives remained out of office until 1866, when they once again formed a government under Lord Derby. Walpole was appointed Home Secretary for the third time but resigned in May 1867 amid criticism over his approach to parliamentary reform. Despite his resignation from the Home Office, he continued to serve as a Minister without Portfolio in the cabinet until February 1868, when Benjamin Disraeli succeeded Lord Derby as Prime Minister. Walpole did not hold ministerial office again but remained a Member of Parliament representing Cambridge University until 1882.

In his personal life, Walpole married Isabella Perceval, his first cousin and daughter of Spencer Perceval, in 1835. They had four children: two sons and two daughters. Their eldest son, Sir Spencer Walpole, became a noted historian.

Spencer Horatio Walpole passed away in May 1898 at the age of 91.

References for this biography include the 1899 edition of the Dictionary of National Biography and the historical list of Members of Parliament compiled by Leigh Rayment. External contributions by Walpole to parliamentary debates are documented in Hansard records from 1803 to 2005.