First Whig Junto

The First Whig Junto controlled the government of England from 1694 to 1699.

Having slowly increased their presence in government under Lord Danby, the Whig Junto established dominance in 1694 with the appointment of Charles Montagu as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Danby remained in office, but the Junto controlled the government of England from 1694 to 1699. It had six prominent members: Montagu (who emerged as overall leader in 1697, the same year that the last Tory, Godolphin, was removed from office), Somers, Wharton, Romney, Orford, and Shrewsbury. Amongst its Parliamentary leaders were the Earls of Sunderland and Portland in the House of Lords. The Whigs held a majority in the House of Commons after the election in 1695, although not all Whig MPs were unswervingly loyal to the Junto.

OFFICE	NAME	TERM
Chancellor of the Exchequer	Sir Charles Montagu	1694–1699
First Lord of the Treasury		1697–1699
Lord Keeper	The Lord Somers	1694–1697
Lord Chancellor		1697–1699
Comptroller of the Household	The Lord Wharton	1694–1699
Master-General of the Ordnance	The Earl of Romney	1694–1699
Lord High Admiral	The Earl of Orford	1694–1699
Northern Secretary	The Duke of Shrewsbury	1694–1695
Southern Secretary		1695–1698
Archbishop of Canterbury	Thomas Tenison	1694–1699
First Lord of the Treasury	The Lord Godolphin of Rialton	1694–1697
Lord President of the Council	The Duke of Leeds	1694–1699
Lord Privy Seal	The Earl of Pembroke	1694–1699
Lord Steward	The Duke of Devonshire	1694–1699
Lord Chamberlain	The Earl of Sunderland	1695–1699
Southern Secretary	Sir John Trenchard	1694–1695
	James Vernon	1698–1699
Northern Secretary	Sir William Trumbull	1695–1697
	James Vernon	1697–1699

• James Vernon was appointed Secretary of State in 1697, with responsibility for the Northern Department. The following year, after the Duke of Shrewsbury left the government, he took responsibility for the Southern Department as well.