Prime Factors – Ranking UK Prime Ministers

With the collapse of the Newcastle and Devonshire governments amid failures in the Seven Years War, King George II needed a leader who could right the ship of state. Instead, he chose James Waldegrave, a man whose primary qualification was that he was the young Prince George's former babysitter. It went about as well as you'd expect. 

Featuring badly sung musical numbers including "Old Sarum-Gatton-Newtown-East Looe-Dunwich-Plympton Erle" (the Rotten Boroughs Song), "A Spoonful of Corruption", and more. 

William Cavendish never wanted to be Prime Minister. But in 1756, Britain was in crisis: France was winning the Seven Years' War, the Newcastle government had collapsed, and George II was in a panic. He needed someone to hold the country steady until a more permanent government could be formed. That man was William Cavendish.

Recorded at the Pointe Hotel in Cavendish, Vermont.

Thomas Pelham-Holles aimed for a quiet term as Prime Minister, hoping to reduce taxes, combat smuggling, and avoid major conflicts. But when a 22-year-old George Washington accidentally ignited the Seven Years War, Pelham-Holles quickly found himself in deeper trouble than he could have imagined.

Thomas Pelham-Holles, heir to two fortunes, may have been spectacularly bad at managing money, but he excelled in 18th-century Whig politics. Entering the House of Lords at 21, he quickly rose to become a Duke, Lord Chamberlain, and eventually Secretary of State—despite never having stepped outside of England. Alongside his brother, Prime Minister Henry Pelham, the siblings became an unbeatable force in British politics. But after his brother's death, can the duke notorious for financial mismanagement really be trusted with the British Treasury?

Recorded on location at the Community Room in Newcastle, Maine, with a brief colonial history of the town included.

Two days. William Pulteney was one of the greatest orators of his generation. After his relationship with Robert Walpole soured, he became Walpole’s fiercest critic. Crusading against corruption in the press and parliament, Pulteney even turned down the role of Prime Minister. However, when George II called upon him during a crisis, he stepped into the highest role in the land... for two days.

This episode was recorded on location at Tarleton Castle in Bath, New Hampshire. Following the episode, we have a brief interview with Tim Dailey, the Executive Director of Tarleton Castle Arts. You can find out more about the project at https://tarletoncastle.org/.

Itō Hirobumi: from peasant to samurai, terrorist to diplomat, and a key architect of modern Japan. Smuggled out of the "hermit kingdom" to learn from the West, he returned to a nation in tumult. Author of the Meiji Constitution and its staunchest advocate, he led Japan through four pivotal terms as it emerged as a global power.

Recorded on location (and vacation!) in Tokyo, Japan. 

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Facing threats from the Jacobites in the north and the French to the south, Henry Pelham faced off against George II… and the king blinked. He balanced competing factions and an empty treasury as Britain’s third Prime Minister. 

Recorded on location at the Pelham Public Library in Pelham, New Hampshire. 

Born the "spare" second son of Baron Pelham, Henry watched his brother bask in the glow of wealth and titles. With the seat in Parliament his brother bought for him, Henry found his own voice, teamed up with Robert Walpole, and zoomed up the political ranks. Stepping out from his sibling's shadow, Henry Pelham soon stood tall as Britain’s third Prime Minister.

Recorded on location at the Pelham Public Library in Pelham, Massachusetts.

From his humble birth in the Compton family castle, Spencer Compton rose to become a "dull, important Lord" in Parliament. Walpole out-maneuvered in 1727 to steal the top job from him, but Spencer Compton, the Earl of Wilmington, would get his revenge and (eventually) become Prime Minister. Recorded on location at the Wilmington Memorial Library in Wilmington, Massachusetts. 

Our first rating! We discuss how Robert Walpole rose from the disaster of the South Sea Company bubble to control all the levers of power in Parliament, his near-loss to Spencer Compton after the death of George I, and his eventual decline and defeat thanks to a disagreement with Spain over a severed left ear.

Recorded on location in Walpole, Massachusetts in the Stone Room at the Walpole Public Library.

Abram and I look at Robert Walpole from birth to 1721, the traditional start of his time as prime minister. We cover his early elections, his rise in the Whig party, his stint in the Tower of London for corruption, and how he rose in power to become the dominant force in British politics of his day. (Hint: It involved family connections and bribery.)

Our pilot episode! Abram and I discuss the history of the UK Parliament from the Saxons up to 1721 and the beginning of the idea of a "prime minister".