Minister for Magic

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in:Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery &Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells &Hogwarts Legacy. As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

Seal of the Ministry of Magic

Office holder Hermione Granger (c.2019–?) (British)

TheMinister for Magic was the political leader of thewizarding community in their respective countries around the world, and the highest ranking member of theMinistry of Magic, which they controlled. The position somewhat corresponded to thePrime Minister ofMuggles in their respective countries.^[1]

InGreat Britain, the Minister was advised on wizarding matters by theirstaff members and by the other Heads of Departments. They also chaired theWizengamot to pass Wizarding Laws, or to hear important trials (such asHarry Potter's case), though the verdicts were decided by majority vote, including that of the Minister themselves. Many other wizarding countries also had Ministers and had similar governmental systems, such as theBulgarian Minister or the Zauberminister of wizardingGermany.^[1]

Despite being the head of their respective wizarding communities, it was common for the Minister to uphold a facade of peace and safety to maintain control and the satisfaction of the public, even if it meant blatantly lying to the citizens, putting them at risk, and forcing the media to corroborate the Ministry's claims. This was a sign of the corruption during the times of theSecond Wizarding War.^[2][3]

InGreat Britain, the Minister for Magic was formally appointed in1707 whenUlick Gamp was voted in as the first Minister for Magic. Ministers were democratically elected through a public vote; no fixed limit existed to a Minister's term in office, but regular elections had to be held at a maximum interval of seven years.^[1] It was also possible to remove a Minister in office if said individual is deemed inadequate; thethirty-second Minister refused to resign despite being pressured by the public and media for a fortnight for histremendous blunder, resulting in the Ministry to eventually sack him.^[4]

History[]

British Ministry of Magic[]

When theBritish Ministry of Magic was established in 1707, the man appointed as the first Minister for Magic wasUlick Gamp, formerlyChief Warlock of theWizengamot.^[1]

AfterMillicent Bagnold was preparing to retire in 1990, Albus Dumbledore was expected to take the position of Minister, but he believed that due to his past, he could not be trusted with that power, so because of this,Barty Crouch Snr was the next prime candidate, due to his cruel but effective methods of combating theDark Arts during theFirst Wizarding War, until he sentenced hisson toAzkaban for being aDeath Eater.^[5] It was after his son'spresumed death that the public began to take pity on the boy and thought Crouch Snr was too neglectful as a father, which led to a drop in his popularity, causing him to lose out to Fudge.

Cornelius Fudge was Minister from1990 to1996. During his first days in office, he was not very confident and, as a result, constantly bombarded Dumbledore withletters for advice.^[6] During the last year of his tenure, Fudge was overcome by self-induced persecution delusions, because Dumbledore 'claimed'Voldemort hadreturned, and abused his own position toprevent that news from spreading, in order to protect both his position of power and the peace that the Ministry had worked so hard to maintain.^[3]

In the end, when Fudge was forced to accept that Voldemort had indeed returned,^[7] the entire wizarding community called for his resignation, and after a fortnight of futile attempts to remain in office, inJuly 1996 he was replaced byRufus Scrimgeour.^[4] Fudge's love for his office blinded him from the truth, and, as he was warned, his denial led him to be known as one of the least effective and disgraced Ministers in history.

Scrimgeour's term ran for one year, in which he attempted to restore peace and control throughout the Wizarding World. Although he was beaten in the end, Scrimgeour was being honest and accepted the fact that the Ministry were many steps behind Voldemort (even though this was the fault of his predecessor, Cornelius Fudge).^[4][8] Unfortunately, he was killed inan attack by an army ofDeath Eaters on 1 August 1997.^[9] He was replaced byVoldemort's puppet,Pius Thicknesse.^[10]

Thicknesse, underCorban Yaxley'sImperius Curse,^[11] was appointed as Minister, though he was really only Voldemort's puppet, with the Dark Lord effectively becoming thetrue Minister. While Thicknesse was to handle everyday business, which included changing the entire Ministry to suit the Death Eaters' ideology, Voldemort was free to extend his reign beyond the government. Voldemort did not announce himself Minister, but instead kept himself hidden in the shadows, in order to plant uncertainty and doubt within the wizarding community, preventing them from trusting anyone and forming any rebellion that could overwhelm the Ministry and the Death Eaters.^[10] Because of his subjugation, Thicknesse's role as Minister was omitted from most official records.

By the end of thewar,Kingsley Shacklebolt was appointed as temporary Minister, the position later becoming permanent. His term led to the revolutionising of the entire Ministry, removing any and all corruption that had permeated it before and during the takeover. One of his first and most effective acts as Minister, was replacingDementors, the unreliable guards ofAzkaban, withAurors.

By2019,Hermione Granger had succeeded Kingsley Shacklebolt as Minister for Magic. She, like Shacklebolt, made effective decisions as Minister.^[12]

Relationship with the Muggle Prime Minister[]

One of the Minister for Magic's duties was to correspond with the BritishPrime Minister ofMuggles regarding any ongoing events in the wizarding world that would or could affect the United Kingdom as a whole, egVoldemort's return. This included introducing themselves to the Muggle Prime Minister when there was a change in office on either side.

A small portrait in the corner of the Prime Minister's office served as an envoy between the two Ministers. It announced the arrival of the Minister for Magic, seeking the Prime Minister's reply (usually acquiescence to the unavoidable). It is believed that aPermanent Sticking Charm must have been placed on the portrait, for neither the Prime Minister nor his experts were able to remove it from its location.

Known correspondences[]

Sometime between1990 and1993, Fudge introduced himself to the newly elected Muggle Prime Minister and informed him of the existence of the magical population living among Muggles in secret. Fudge assured the Muggle Prime Minister that they would likely not see each other again unless there was an emergency. Fudge also claimed that the previous Prime Minister had tried to throw him out of the window, believing him to be a hoax planned by his political opposition.

In aroundJuly1993, Fudge visited the Prime Minister's office again, to inform him ofSirius Black's breakout fromAzkaban, the wizard prison. On this visit, Fudge also told the Prime Minister about Voldemort, in order to allow the Prime Minister to have an in-depth understanding of what was going on, though as he dared not say the name out loud, he instead scribbled it on a piece of paper.

InAugust1994, Fudge turned up to report on the fiasco at theQuidditch World Cup, since its victims includedMuggles. He also informed a bewildered Prime Minister that the Ministry of Magic would be importingdragons and asphinx into Great Britain for theTriwizard Tournament, taking place at Hogwarts later that year.

Sometime prior to July 1996, a flustered Fudge appeared in the Prime Minister's office briefly to inform him that there had been a mass breakout fromAzkaban, the wizard prison.

AroundJuly1996, Fudge turned up and announced to the Prime Minister that theSecond Wizarding War had begun, and admitted that the Dark forces in their community were responsible for the various gloomy and tragic events occurring in the Muggle world. In addition, Fudge introduced his successor,Rufus Scrimgeour.

WhenVoldemorttook over the Ministry of Magic, it was possible that the puppet MinisterPius Thicknesse was not sent to meet the Muggle Minister, as was the tradition in the past, due to the Death Eaters' attitudes towards Muggles andMuggle-borns. However, onceKingsley Shacklebolt was appointed Minister in1998, it is possible, if not likely, that he did meet with the Prime Minister to not only introduce himself (indeed, he had been put in as secretary to the Prime Minister in 1996 to watch over his security)^[13] but to assure the Muggle Minister that the war had ended.

WhenHermione Granger was appointed Minister around 2019, she, like her predecessors, likely also introduced herself to the incumbent Prime Minister.

List of Ministers of Magic[]

British Ministers of Magic[]

18th century[]

#	Portrait	Minister for Magic (term of office)	Other Ministerial offices held	Notes
1		Ulick Gamp 1707 to1718	Chief Warlock of theWizengamot (Wizards' Council)	First person to use the title of Minister for Magic. Established theDepartment of Magical Law Enforcement.
2		Damocles Rowle 1718 to1726	—	EstablishedAzkaban Prison in1718. Forced to step down after his actions as Minister towardsMuggles led to him being censured by theInternational Confederation of Wizards.
3		Perseus Parkinson 1726 to1733	—	Attempted to pass a bill to preventwizard-Muggle miscegenation (the interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types); the public did not approve and voted him out at the first opportunity.
4		Eldritch Diggory 1733 to1747	—	First established anAuror recruitment programme. Tried (unsuccessfully) to close downAzkaban or removeDementors as guards. Died in office.
5		Albert Boot 1747 to1752	—	Resigned after mismanagedgoblin rebellion.
6		Basil Flack 1752	—	Shortest-serving Minister for Magic. Resigned due to the advancement ofGoblin Rebellions (goblins allied themselves withwerewolves).
7		Hesphaestus Gore 1752 to1770	Auror	One of the earliestAurors. Successfully put down a number of revolts by magical beings. Renovated and reinforcedAzkaban Prison.
8		Maximilian Crowdy 1770 to1781	—	Routed out several extremistpure-blood groups planningMuggle attacks. Died in office under mysterious circumstances.
9		Porteus Knatchbull 1781 to1789	—	Correspondence withMuggle Prime MinisterLord North led to the latter being forced to resign after word leaked out that he believed inwizards.
10		Unctuous Osbert 1789 to1798	—	Too much influenced bypure-bloods of wealth and status; was little more than a puppet in the hands ofSeptimus Malfoy.
11		Artemisia Lufkin 1798 to1811	—	First female Minister for Magic. Established theDepartment of International Magical Co-operation, and lobbied (successfully) to have aQuidditch World Cup held in Britain during her term.

19th century[]

#	Portrait	Minister for Magic (term of office)	Other Ministerial offices held	Notes
12		Grogan Stump 1811 to1819	—	Defined "Being" and "Beast", settling a debate that had been going on since the14th century. Deeply restructured theDepartment for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and established theDepartment of Magical Games and Sports.
13		Josephina Flint 1819 to1827	—	Revealed a severe anti-Muggle bias during her term; specifically attacked new Muggle inventions such as thetelegraph, which she claimed interfered withwand function.
14		Ottaline Gambol 1827 to1835	—	Came up with the idea of having theHogwarts Express to solve the dilemma of how to transport students toHogwarts School without attractingMuggle attention. Established committees to investigateMuggle brainpower.
15		Rodolphus Lestrange (I) 1835 to1841	—	Unsuccessfully attempted to close down theDepartment of Mysteries. Resigned due to ill health (widely rumoured to have been unable to cope with the strains of office).
16		Hortensia Milliphutt 1841 to1849	—	Introduced more legislation than any other Minister. Political downfall came when she began passing regulations on hat pointiness and other wearisome laws.
17		Evangeline Orpington 1849 to1855	—	Hadconcealed platforms built atKing's Cross Station to house wizarding trains. Believed to have intervened magically (and illegally) in theCrimean War.
18		Priscilla Dupont 1855 to1858	—	Developed an irrational loathing of theMuggle Prime MinisterLord Palmerston, which led to a series ofMuggle-baiting incidents. Forced to resign after it became too much.
19		Dugald McPhail 1858 to1865	—	A period of calm and stability. Established theKnight Bus in1865.
20		Faris Spavin 1865 to1903	—	Longest-serving Minister. Left office at age 147, after attendingQueen Victoria's funeral wearing an admiral's hat and spats. Survived an assassination attempt by acentaur, who took offence to the punchline of his "a centaur, a ghost and a dwarf walk into a bar"joke.

20th century[]

#	Portrait	Minister for Magic (term of office)	Other Ministerial offices held	Notes
21		Venusia Crickerly 1903 to1912	Auror	Competent and likeable Minister. Died in1912 in aMandrake-related gardening accident.
22		Archer Evermonde 1912 to1923	—	Passed emergency legislation preventingwizards from taking part in the on-goingFirst World War, lest this cause a massive breach of theInternational Statute of Secrecy.
23		Lorcan McLaird 1923 to1925	—	An exceptionally taciturn man who preferred to communicate in monosyllables and expressive puffs of smoke that he produced with hiswand. Forced out of office out of sheer irritation.
24		Hector Fawley 1925 to1939	—	Term in office coincided with the beginning ofGellert Grindelwald's"For the Greater Good" revolution. Fawley did not take Grindelwald's threat to the world wizarding community sufficiently seriously and was, as a result, forced out from his office.
25		Leonard Spencer-Moon 1939 to1948	Tea-boy in theDepartment of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes	A sound Minister, oversaw a period of great turmoil in both the wizarding (Global Wizarding War) and theMuggle world (Second World War). Maintained a good working relationship withWinston Churchill.
26		Wilhelmina Tuft 1948 to1959	—	Presided over a period of welcome peace and prosperity. Died in office, after eatingAlihotsy-flavoured fudge (which she wasallergic to).
27		Ignatius Tuft 1959 to1962	—	Son of his predecessor, who gained election based on his mother's popularity. Tried to institute a controversial and dangerousDementor breeding programme, and was forced from his office.
28		Nobby Leach 1962 to1968	—	FirstMuggle-born Minister for Magic. Denied having had anything to do with England's1966World Cup win. Left office after contracting a mysterious illness (conspiracy theories abound -Abraxas Malfoy is widely believed to have been part of the shady plot that made him leave his post prematurely).
29		Eugenia Jenkins 1968 to1975	—	Dealt competently with thepure-blood riots during theSquib Rights marches of the late1960s. Thefirst rise of Lord Voldemort saw her ousted from office, as the people saw her as inadequate to meet the challenge.
30		Harold Minchum 1975 to1980	—	Hard-liner. Placed even moreDementors inAzkaban, but could not containVoldemort's seemingly unstoppable rise to power.
31		Millicent Bagnold 1980 to1990	—	Minister during the terminal phase of theFirst Wizarding War. It was during her term thatLord Voldemort seemingly died following theJames andLily Potter murders in1981. Responsible for the successfulDeath Eater trials immediately after the war.
32		Cornelius Fudge 1990 to1996	Junior minister at theDepartment of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes Advisor to theMinister for Magic	Most of the wizarding world supportedAlbus Dumbledore for Minister when Bagnold retired, but Fudge was appointed when Dumbledore refused the office. Fudge relied heavily on Dumbledore in the first years of his term. WhenLord Voldemort returned, Fudge persistently refused to accept it, and launched asmear campaign to discredit those who claimed the Dark Lord had returned. Was ousted from office when Voldemortappeared in the Ministry itself.
33		Rufus Scrimgeour 1996 to1997	Head of the Auror Office	Replaced Cornelius Fudge in the height of theSecond Wizarding War. Tried to reassure the wizard population that the ministry were making progress in the war. This was done throughreorganising some Ministry offices,publicising arrests, and trying to recruitHarry Potter as the Ministry's poster-boy. As a result, actual progress was reduced and the ministry was not able to meet the threat posed by a returned Voldemort. Murdered at the hands of Voldemort during aDeath Eater coup.
34 (omitted)		Pius Thicknesse 1997 to1998	Head of theDepartment of Magical Law Enforcement	Placed under theImperius Curse byDeath EaterCorban Yaxley, and appointed Minister following theircoup. Thicknesse was effectively a puppet of the Death Eater regime and was unconscious of anything he was doing (the reason why he is omitted from most official records as a Minister).
35		Kingsley Shacklebolt 1998 to2019	Auror	Named "Caretaker Minister for Magic" after theBattle of Hogwarts and the end of theSecond Wizarding War, but subsequently elected to the office. Oversaw the capture ofDeath Eaters and supporters following Voldemort's death. Led a massive reform of the Ministry, in order to rid it of corruption and pro-pure-blood laws. PurgedDementors fromAzkaban.

21st century[]

#	Portrait	Minister for Magic (term of office)	Other Ministerial offices held	Notes
36		Hermione Granger 2019-	Worker in theDepartment for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures Deputy Head of theDepartment of Magical Law Enforcement	Had previously been one of the top Ministry employees during Shacklebolt's massive reform of the Ministry, a progressive voice who ensured the eradication of oppressive, pro-pureblood laws.

Timeline[]

Non-British Ministers for Magic[]

Minister for Magic	Portrait	Ministry of Magic (term of office)	Notes
Unidentified German Minister for Magic in 1926 1920s		German Ministry of Magic	He was called to an emergency meeting in1926.
Anton Vogel 1930s		German Ministry of Magic	Supreme Mugwump until 1932.
Vicência Santos 1930s		Brazilian Ministry of Magic	Selected as the Supreme Mugwump of theInternational Confederation of Wizards in1932.
Liu Tao 1930s		Chinese Ministry of Magic	One of the candidates for the post of Supreme Mugwump in 1932.
Norwegian Minister for Magic in 1932 1930s		Norwegian Ministry of Magic	They attended theCandidates' Dinner in 1932.
Victor 1930s		French Ministry of Magic
Oblansk 1990s		Bulgarian Ministry of Magic	He attended the1994 Quidditch World Cup
Unidentified Andorran Minister for Magic 1990s		Andorran Ministry of Magic	They sent a memo toBartemius Crouch Senior in1995.
Joshua Sankara 1990s		Burkinabé Ministry of Magic	Seeker of theBurkinabé National Quidditch team
Otto Obermeier 2010s		Liechtenstein Ministry of Magic

Behind the scenes[]

• Lally Hicks mentioned the Norwegian Minister as the Norwegian Ministerof Magic.
• In theAmerican editions, the Minister is called the Ministerof Magic. In the films, both Ministerof Magic and Ministerfor Magic seem to be acceptable, as different characters call it different names. For example, inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, when Scrimgeour arrives at The Burrow, George wonders what the "Ministerof Magic" is doing there; likewise, when Kingsley's Patronus interrupts the Bill and Fleur's wedding, he calls the Minister the same thing. However, when Pius Thicknesse gives his speech later in the film, he calls himself the "Ministerfor Magic". The reason behind this is unknown.
• Basil Flack has the distinction of being the Minister for Magic with the shortest known term in office: 2 months, in1752. The longest term was that ofFaris Spavin, lasting 38 years, from1865 to1903. There has been at least one foreign Minister for Magic with a shorter term then Flack's, though:Joshua Sankara, Minister for Magic ofBurkina Faso for two days in2006.
• Apparently, the Minister must get the approval of aWizengamot majority for any legislation.
• One ofGilderoy Lockhart's many empty claims to any of his classmates who bothered even listening to him is to knuckle down to become Britain's youngest Minister for Magic, which he never accomplished.
• Since Kingsley's appointment as the next Minister for Magic is omitted fromHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, there is no mention of who is appointed to that position after the final battle.
• Supposing that the liaison between the Minister for Magic and the Muggle Prime Minister has been conducted in the same way since the Ministry's inception, as well as supposing that the Muggle Prime Ministers in theHarry Potter universe are all the same as their real-life counterparts, then the following table illustrates the Ministers for Magic that would have introduced themselves to the respective Prime Ministers:

Appearances[]

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone(First mentioned)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)(Appears on aFamous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)(Appears on aFamous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)(Appears on aFamous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them(Mentioned only)
• Quidditch Through the Ages(Mentioned only)
• Pottermore
• HarryPotter.com
• Daily Prophet Newsletters(Mentioned only)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• LEGO Harry Potter
• Harry Potter for Kinect
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Hogwarts Legacy(Mentioned only)

Notes and references[]

Ministers for Magic
Ulick Gamp (1707–1718) Damocles Rowle (1718–1726) Perseus Parkinson (1726–1733) Eldritch Diggory (1733–1747) Albert Boot (1747–1752) Basil Flack (1752–1752) Hesphaestus Gore (1752–1770) Maximilian Crowdy (1770–1781) Porteus Knatchbull (1781–1789) Unctuous Osbert (1789–1798) Artemisia Lufkin (1798–1811) Grogan Stump (1811–1819) Josephina Flint (1819–1827) Ottaline Gambol (1827–1835) Rodolphus Lestrange (1835–1841) Hortensia Milliphutt (1841–1849) Evangeline Orpington (1849–1855) Priscilla Dupont (1855–1858) Dugald McPhail (1858–1865) Faris Spavin (1865–1903) Venusia Crickerly (1903–1912) Archer Evermonde (1912–1923) Lorcan McLaird (1923–1925) Hector Fawley (1925–1939) Leonard Spencer-Moon (1939–1948) Wilhelmina Tuft (1948–1959) Ignatius Tuft (1959–1962) Nobby Leach (1962–1968) Eugenia Jenkins (1968–1975) Harold Minchum (1975–1980) Millicent Bagnold (1980–1990) Cornelius Fudge (1990–1996) Rufus Scrimgeour (1996–1997) Pius Thicknesse (1997–1998) Kingsley Shacklebolt (1998–c. 2019) Hermione Granger (c. 2019–?)

Minister for Magic and Support Staff
Ministers for Magic: Ulick Gamp ·Damocles Rowle ·Perseus Parkinson ·Eldritch Diggory ·Albert Boot ·Basil Flack ·Hesphaestus Gore ·Maximilian Crowdy ·Porteus Knatchbull ·Unctuous Osbert ·Artemisia Lufkin ·Grogan Stump ·Josephina Flint ·Ottaline Gambol ·Rodolphus Lestrange ·Hortensia Milliphutt ·Evangeline Orpington ·Priscilla Dupont ·Dugald McPhail ·Faris Spavin ·Venusia Crickerly ·Archer Evermonde ·Lorcan McLaird ·Hector Fawley ·Leonard Spencer-Moon ·Wilhelmina Tuft ·Ignatius Tuft ·Nobby Leach ·Eugenia Jenkins ·Harold Minchum ·Millicent Bagnold ·Cornelius Fudge ·Rufus Scrimgeour ·Pius Thicknesse ·Kingsley Shacklebolt ·Hermione Granger
Secretary to the Minister: Faris Spavin's secretary ·Ethel	Senior Undersecretary to the Minister: Dolores Umbridge
Junior Assistant to the Minister for Magic: Percy Weasley	Advisor to the Minister for Magic: Cornelius Fudge
Special Advisor for Elf Legislation: Loretta Fieldwake	Quill Control & Rune Translation: Miraforum
Exotic Symbol Analyst: Eduardus Limus	Other officials: Unidentified official ·Pius Thicknesse's sycophants ·Official murmuring instructions to a quill