Salisbury, << SAWLZ `behr` ee, >> Marquess of (1830-1903), was a distinguished British statesman who was prime minister three times. He entered the Cabinet in 1866 and again in 1874 as secretary of state for India under Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. In 1878, he became secretary of state for foreign affairs. When Disraeli died in 1881, Salisbury became leader of the Conservative Party in the House of Lords. He was prime minister from June 24, 1885, to Feb. 6, 1886; from Aug. 3, 1886, to Aug. 8, 1892; and from July 2, 1895, to July 12, 1902. During most of this period, Salisbury also served as his own secretary of state for foreign affairs.
Salisbury was born Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil in Hatfield on Feb. 3, 1830, in Hertfordshire, England. Salisbury was educated at Oxford University. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1853, and remained a member until the death of his father in 1868 gave him a seat in the House of Lords. Salisbury died on Aug. 22, 1903.
