Pelham, Henry (1694-1754), served as Britain’s prime minister and chancellor of the exchequer from 1743 until his death in 1754. Pelham served more than 20 years in Parliament before becoming prime minister. His political experience and stability helped him unite factions in the government, put down a bloody rebellion, and end a long-running European war. Pelham was succeeded as prime minister by his older brother, the Duke of Newcastle.
Henry Pelham was born on Sept. 25, 1694, in Laughton, Sussex. He was the ninth of 11 children born to Thomas Pelham, a member of Parliament and 1st Baron Pelham of Laughton. Henry was educated at Westminster School and Hart Hall, Oxford. He served as an officer in the British infantry before entering Parliament as the representative for Seaford, Sussex, in 1717. He served as lord of the treasury and in other Cabinet positions under the government of Robert Walpole. Pelham succeeded the Earl of Wilmington as prime minister on Aug. 27, 1743.
As prime minister, Pelham helped put down a rebellion in Scotland and northern England led by Charles Stuart—“Bonnie Prince Charlie.” Pelham helped end the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). He also approved the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in Britain, establishing January 1 as the beginning of each new year. In 1751, Pelham’s government passed an act restricting the sale of gin. The Marriage Act was passed in 1753. The act established that no marriage would be legal unless it had been performed after the calling of banns (public announcement of the marriage) and unless it was performed in a building of the Church of England. Pelham died while still in office on March 6, 1754, in London. See also Stuart, Charles Edward.
