William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, (15 March 1779 – 24 November 1848), usually addressed as
Lord Melbourne, was a British
Whig statesman who served as
Home Secretary (1830–1834) and
Prime Minister (1834 and 1835–1841). He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of
Queen Victoria, at ages 18–21, in the ways of politics. Historians conclude that Melbourne does not rank high as a prime minister, for there were no great foreign wars or domestic issues to handle, he lacked major achievements, and he enunciated no grand principles. "But he was kind, honest, and not self-seeking." Melbourne was dismissed by the King in 1834, the last Prime Minister to have been dismissed by a Monarch.