Henry John Temple; 3rd Viscount Palmerston; KG; GCB; PC (20 October 1784 - 18 October 1865); known popularly as Lord Palmerston; was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister in the mid-19th century. Popularly nicknamed 'Pam'; or 'The Mongoose'; he was in government office almost continuously from 1807 until his death in 1865; beginning his parliamentary career as a Tory and concluding it as a Liberal.

He is best remembered for his direction of British foreign policy through a period when Britain was at the height of its power; serving terms as both Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister. Some of his aggressive actions; now sometimes termed liberal interventionist; were greatly controversial at the time; and remain so today. He was the most recent British Prime Minister to die in office.

Palmerston was actively involed in both the First Opium War (1839-1842) and the Second Opium War (1856-1860) Pictures From History