Liverpool, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Earl of, 1770-1828

Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (7 June 1770 – 4 December 1828) was a British Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. Before becoming Prime Minister he had been Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary and Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. He held the constituency of Rye from 1790 until his elevation to the House of Lords in 1803, of which he was Leader from 1807 to 1827. Liverpool's fifteen years as Prime Minister saw the end of the Napoleonic Wars followed by a period of unrest and radicalism at home. During the first part of his premiership, repressive measures were taken to restore order at home, the Corn Laws were introduced and income tax was repealed. In the 1820s his leadership became more liberal, and the period saw a reform of the criminal law and prisons. Throughout his tenure as Prime Minister, Liverpool sought a compromise over the issue of Catholic emancipation. He resigned following a stroke in February 1827. Important events during Liverpool's premiership included the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, the Congress of Vienna, the 1812–1814 war with America, the Peterloo massacre, the Cato Street Conspiracy and the Queen Caroline affair. Liverpool, known as Jenkinson until 1803 and as Hawkesbury from 1803 to 1808, was the son of Tory politician Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool. He was educated at Charterhouse School and Christ Church, Oxford. Twice married, he had no children; on his death, the earldom passed to his younger half-brother.