John Bellingham
The only Prime Minister of Great Britain to be assassinated to date was Spencer Perceval, shot to death in the lobby of the House of Commons on May 11, 1812. His assassin was a merchant and import – export agent named John Bellingham. Bellingham had planned the assassination for some time, and it was based on personal animosity towards the British government, rather than political opposition. At his trial Bellingham explained in a statement that the Prime Minister had placed himself above the law and in so doing had denied him his rights as an Englishman. Bellingham insisted that what he had done was entirely justified by Perceval’s denial of his rights.
In 1804 Bellingham was in Arkhangelsk as an export agent. Lloyd’s of London received an anonymous letter from Russia which claimed that a Russian merchant ship which had been lost at sea the preceding year had been deliberately sunk to obtain an insurance claim. Agents from Lloyd’s suspected that Bellingham was involved, and initiated proceedings which led to the Russian government withdrawing his travel permits and detaining him in prison. When Bellingham managed to secure his freedom he petitioned the Russian court at St. Petersburg to take action against the government officials who had detained him. Russian authorities again imprisoned him.
In 1808 he was released, but destitute and still denied permission to travel from Russia, he sought the personal intervention of the Czar. In 1809, the Czar allowed him to leave, and he returned to England. He applied to the government for compensation for the time he had spent in Russian prisons while the British government did nothing to assist him. It was denied. In 1808 the British and Russian governments discontinued diplomatic relations, and the British government took the position that there had been nothing they could do to assist Bellingham.
In April 1812 Bellingham renewed his claims against the British government. He also purchased a pair of pistols and had a coat altered to include an interior pocket which could carry them. On April 18, 1812 Bellingham visited the Foreign Office, which again denied that he had any claim. Bellingham threatened to take his argument directly to the Prime Minister and was informed that he was free to take his claim wherever he chose. Bellingham began to spend considerable time during the business day in the lobby of the House of Commons, although he did not appear to have any pressing business there.
On May 11 Bellingham waited in the lobby until Perceval appeared, whereupon he drew a pistol and shot the Prime Minister in the chest, after which he calmly resumed his seat. Perceval died within minutes. An attempt to present Bellingham as insane was waved aside by the court and he was found guilty of the murder of the Prime Minister four days later. Bellingham was hanged on May 18, 1812, as the city of London was placed under heavy security by the military, fearful of insurrection. Parliament voted a pension for the assassin’s widow and children. Lord Liverpool was appointed to head the new government and the long war against Napoleon went on, along with a new war against the United States.