Wellington made acting Prime Minister

From 15 November to 9 December 1834, Wellington became acting Prime Minister. After King William IV dismissed Lord Melbourne and his Whig government and appointed Tory leader Sir Robert Peel the new Prime Minister, Wellington served temporarily as Prime Minister until Peel, on holiday abroad, can return to assume the office. Image: Sir Thomas Lawrence, Portrait of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1814). This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.