| Year Summary | The Monarch is King William IV until his death on 20 June. As none of his ten surviving children being legitimate the throne goes to his 18-year-old niece, Princess Victoria of Kent becomes Queen Victoria. The Prime Minister is William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (Whig) and continues after the 18 August General election. Charles Dickens serialises <em>Oliver Twist</em>.<br /><br />In the USA, the 7th President Andrew Jackson (D-Tennessee) ends his second term and on March 4 it is Martin Van Buren (D-New York). Richard Johnson becomes the only Vice President of the United States chosen by the Senate. Inventor John Deere starts his agricultural equipment business. |