The Minister for Magic is the head of the British wizarding community in Harry Potter, and there have been 36 throughout wizarding world history. Just as in real-world politics, these witches and wizards each came to office with their own ideas and goals, leaving them with a mix of ers and critics. Ultimately, each brought something unique to the magical community—from Ulick Gamp in the 18th century to Hermione Granger today.
Throughout the Harry Potter series, the Ministry of Magic could be friend or foe at any given time. The same was often true for the Minister for Magic. Harry first met the man who ran the wizarding government for most of his childhood in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and it was immediately clear that his goals were centered more on his success than that of his community. This was true for many of his predecessors, who were recorded alongside their achievements (and shortcomings) in the wizarding world history books (as well as the Wizarding World website, of course).
First Minister For Magic - Ulick Gamp (1707 - 1718)
The start of the 18th century saw a massive change for the wizarding community in Britain. In 1692, the Wizards' Council, the crude governing body that had ruled the witches and wizards of Britain for centuries, fell apart when the International Statute of Secrecy sent the magical community into hiding. This was done for the safety of both wizards and Muggles and the fact that this was a widely unpopular decision among pure-blood wizards led to the need for a more structured governing body. So the Ministry of Magic was born, and the first Minister was elected.
Ulick Gamp, the head of the Wizengamot, was the first wizard to be elected as Minister for Magic. He held his office for 11 years before ing away or stepping down. His greatest achievement as Minister was founding the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which focused predominantly on upholding the still-new Statute of Secrecy. In honor of being the first Minister for Magic, Gamp was the subject of a portrait that was mounted in the Muggle Prime Minister's office at number 10 Downing Street. As seen in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, his image would come to life and announce that the Minister for Magic was coming to visit the Prime Minister.
Every Minister For Magic Between 1718 & 1990
After Gamp's time in office as Minister for Magic, many other witches and wizards followed. There were no term limits, but Gamp had set a precedent for elections to be held every seven years—ensuring that a Minister could be voted out if the community was no longer happy with them. Some Ministers for Magic lasted several decades, the longest being 38 years, while others stayed no more than a few months. It's unclear if these leaders held office within the Ministry of Magic that Harry first visited in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Regardless, each Minister for Magic was successful in their main job—keeping the wizarding world a secret from Muggles.
Damocles Rowle (1718 - 1726)
Damocles Rowle, elected as Minister for Magic immediately after Gamp, differed greatly in his approach to the International Statute of Secrecy. Rowle's campaign focused on his promise to be 'tough on Muggles,' so he was a favorite of the pure-bloods. He was reelected after seven years but forced by the International Confederation of Wizards to step down as he was deemed a risk to the Statute of Secrecy.
Perseus Parkinson (1726 - 1733)
Perseus Parkinson was another Minister for Magic favored because of his planned policies against Muggles. He attempted several times to a bill that would make it illegal to marry a Muggle. Thankfully, he was voted out after his first seven-year term.
Eldritch Diggory (1733 - 1747)
Eldritch Diggory (likely an ancestor to Harry Potter's Cedric Diggory) was the Minister for Magic responsible for the Auror recruitment program. Approval for his leadership was high within the wizarding community, and he was reelected for another seven-year term. Unfortunately, he ed away from dragon pox while still in office.
Albert Boot (1747 - 1752)
Albert Boot had the tough job of following up the popular Minister Diggory, and though he was well-liked by the wizarding community, he was ultimately held responsible for the start of the Goblin Rebellions. After only five years, he resigned.
Basil Flack (1752 - 1752)
Basil Flack was the shortest serving Minister for Magic in wizarding world history—even shorter than Harry Potter's Pius Thicknesse. Flack resigned only two months after being elected when the werewolves ed the goblins in their rebellion.
Hesphaestus Gore (1752 - 1770)
Hesphaestus Gore had been one of the early Aurors recruited by Minister Diggory. This made him the prime candidate to handle the Goblin Rebellions, which he successfully did. This led him to be reelected for several . Unfortunately, the fact that he vetoed any programs aimed at werewolf rehabilitation led to the historical belief that he was responsible for their increased numbers in Britain.
Maximilian Crowdy (1770 - 1781)
Maximilian Crowdy was seen as the charismatic champion of Muggles and Muggle-born witches and wizards. His time in office was focused on routing out extremist pure-blood groups who had long been suspected of crimes against Muggles. Unfortunately, he died under mysterious circumstances, assumedly at the hands of the pure-bloods.
Porteus Knatchbull (1781 - 1789)
Porteus Knatchbull was known for his relationship with Muggle Prime Minister Frederick North, better known as Lord North. The Prime Minister once requested Knatchbull's presence to help with difficulties involving King George III. Unfortunately, the news that Lord North was looking to seemingly fictional magic to solve his problems led the Muggle population to force him to resign.
Unctuous Osbert (1789 - 1798)
Little is known about Unctuous Osbert other than he was known to be heavily influenced by the pure-blood community—especially those of great wealth. He left office during his second term, though it's unclear if he died, stepped down, or was forced to resign.
Artemisia Lufkin (1798 - 1811)
Artemisia Lufkin was the Ministry of Magic's first female Minister. She was responsible for establishing the Department of International Magical Co-operation and was assumedly a massive Quidditch fan since she fought (successfully) to have a Quidditch World Cup tournament held in Britain for the first time.
Grogan Stump (1811 - 1819)
Grogan Stump was a massively popular Minster for Magic known to be quite the Quidditch fan. He established the Department of Magical Games and Sports (which would be led by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire's Ludo Bagman in Harry's time).
Josephina Flint (1819 - 1827)
Josephina Flint (likely an ancestor of Marcus Flint, captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team in Harry Potter) was known to despise Muggles and their technology. She claimed that inventions like the telegraph interfered with wand function—something that was ultimately proven to be false.
Ottaline Gambol (1827 - 1835)
Ottaline Gambol was known to have great relations with the Muggles and worked hard to convince his wizarding community that they weren't nearly as unintelligent as was commonly believed. This ultimately led Gambol to found committees dedicated to investigating Muggle brainpower.
Radolphus Lestrange (1835 - 1841)
Radolphus Lestrange (of the famous and wealthy Lestrange family) didn't make it through his first term since the stress of office turned out to be too much for him, and he resigned. Ultimately, Lestrange was only ed for his unsuccessful attempts to close the Department of Mysteries.
Hortensia Milliphutt (1841 - 1849)
Hortensia Milliphutt was a thorough and detail-oriented witch who believed every topic to be of the utmost importance. This led her to introduce more legislation than any of her Minister for Magic predecessors. A good deal of this was extremely beneficial to the wizarding community, but nitpicky laws regarding hat pointiness ultimately caused her to be pushed from office.
Evangeline Orpington (1849 - 1855)
Evangeline Orpington was another champion of Muggles and Muggle-borns, which made her unpopular with the pure-blood community. She was known to be a friend to Queen Victoria (though the Muggle ruler never knew her companion was a witch). Though it was never confirmed, it was long rumored that Orpington used magic to intervene illegally in the Crimean War.
Priscilla Dupont (1855 - 1858)
Priscilla Dupont was another Minister for Magic who only served a short term. This came down to her unexplained rivalry with Muggle Prime Minister Lord Palmerston. She hated the man so much that she pulled magical pranks, such as making his pocketed coins turn into frogspawn)=, which ultimately led to Dupont being forced to step down.
Dugald Mhail (1858 - 1865)
Dugal Mhail had a gloriously quiet term as Minister for Magic. Though the Muggle parliament faced great difficulty, Mhail managed to keep the wizarding world in peace. He was also known as the first Minister to state (and possibly make it law) that the Muggle Prime Minister would never be allowed to visit the Ministry of Magic, saying, "Their puir wee braines couldnae cope wi’ it."
Faris “Spout-hole” Spavin (1865 - 1903)
Faris Spavin was the longest-serving Minister for Magic—sitting for 38 years of relative peace and prosperity. He famously survived an assassination attempt by a centaur (who had been offended by a public joke made by Spavin). The popular Minister lived long enough to attend Queen Victoria's funeral but caused controversy when he appeared wearing an iral hat and spats. This led the Wizengamot to suggest that the 147-year-old wizard step down.
Venusia Crickerly (1903 - 1912)
Minister Spavin was a tough act to follow, but Venusia Crickerly, an ex-Auror, was judged as being fit for the task. She managed to get reelected after her first seven-year term but was unfortunately killed only a few years later while gardening Madrakes.
Archer Evermonde (1912 - 1923)
Archer Evermonde was hailed for how he handled the Muggle's First World War. As the conflict broke out, he quickly ed legislation that forbade witches and wizards from getting involved. This kept the wizarding world from being revealed during this time of great upheaval, though many witches and wizards still helped their Muggle neighbors when they could.
Lorcan McLaird (1923 - 1925)
Lorcan McLaird is ed as the most eccentric Minister for Magic in wizarding world history. He strangely preferred communicating via puffs of smoke emitted from his wand and monosyllables. He was ultimately pushed out of office out of utter frustration.
Hector Fawley (1925 - 1939)
Hector Fawley was the Minister for Magic during Gellert Grindelwald's rise to power and was therefore seen in the Fantastic Beasts movies. He was known to be high-spirited and flamboyant, and though he was well enough liked during his first couple , his severe underestimation of Grindelwald led to Fawley being forced out of his position.
Leonard Spencer-Moon (1939 - 1948)
Leonard Spencer-Moon was the rags-to-riches Minister. He started at the Ministry of Magic as a tea boy for the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes (the most boring department) and slowly rose to Minister for Magic. He successfully led the wizarding world through the Muggle's Second World War and was known to have a great relationship with Winston Churchill.
Wilhelmina Tuft (1948 - 1959)
Wilhelmina Tuft was another Minister for Magic fortunate enough to be in office during a great time in wizarding world history. She was greatly respected by the community but was killed in office thanks to an unknown and unfortunate allergy to Alihotsy-flavoured fudge.
Ignatius Tuft (1959 - 1962)
Ignatius Tuft, son of his Minister for Magic predecessor, used Wilhelmina's success in office and the tragedy of her death to be elected. He didn't last long, however, since he attempted to establish a dementor breeding program that went horribly wrong (and resulted in him being forced from his position).
Nobby Leach (1962 - 1968)
Nobby Leach was the first Muggle-born Minister for Magic, which unfortunately meant he had a rough time in office. When he was elected, many pure-blood Ministry officials resigned in protest. This meant a desperate scramble to fill the vacant positions. Unfortunately, Leach became mysteriously ill after six rather successful years in office and resigned as a result.
Eugenia Jenkins (1968 - 1975)
Eugenia Jenkins was the 'good-enough' Minister for Magic who effectively managed the political wars between pure-blood and Squib rights activists. Unfortunately, when Lord Voldemort first began to rise to power, the wizarding world felt she wasn't equipped for it and voted her out after her first term.
Harold Minchum (1975 - 1980)
Harold Minchum was the tough-as-nails Minister for Magic elected to replace Minister Jenkins and her shortcomings. In response to Lord Voldemort's rise to power, Minchum increased the number of dementors guarding Azkaban prison but was forced from office when he was unable to do much else about the Dark Lord's threat.
Millicent Bagnold (1980 - 1990)
Millicent Bagnold managed to keep her people together during Harry Potter's First Wizarding War—a situation that would've likely been even more dire if not for her competent management. After Voldemort's mysterious downfall thanks to the Boy Who Lived, Bagnold was put under fire by the International Confederation of Wizards for the overt displays of magic due to the communities many celebrations over the Dark Lord's downfall. In response, she famously said, "I assert our inalienable right to party."
Cornelius Fudge (1990 - 1996)
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic through most of Harry Potter, was lucky enough to become Minister for Magic as the wizarding world entered years of peace. The witches and wizards of Britain were so happy about Voldemort's downfall that there was little that Fudge could do to put them ill at ease. He enjoyed several comfortable years in his position of power and turned to Albus Dumbledore for help any time an issue popped up that he couldn't handle (which was all of them).
Of course, as was seen in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Fudge's comfort in the office played a big part in his refusal to believe that Lord Voldemort was back. He knew it was something he couldn't handle, which made Dumbledore—the wizard he had leaned on for so many years—suddenly seem like a threat. After the wizarding world saw Lord Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic, Fudge lost any left to him, and he was forced to resign.
Rufus Scrimgeour (1996 - 1997)
Since the previous two Auror Ministers for Magic had been fairly successful, Rufus Scrimgeour seemed the best fit to take over the Ministry in Harry Potter. He was much less the politician type and didn't worry as much about his public reputation as Cornelius Fudge. Still, Scrimgeour was smart enough to recognize that the of Harry Potter was important to his success, so he begrudgingly offered friendship to the boy.
Of course, Harry turned down this offer since he disapproved of Scrimgeour's over-eagerness to throw anyone suspected of being a Death Eater into Azkaban (even with minimal evidence). Still, this Minister wasn't an inherently terrible person—proven by the fact that Rufus Scrimgeour died in Harry Potter while refusing to give Lord Voldemort information about Harry's whereabouts.
Pius Thicknesse (1997 - 1998)
Pius Thicknesse was the Minister for Magic that Lord Voldemort hand-picked to be his puppet within the Ministry. Though the Harry Potter movies made it seem like Thicknesse was acting of his own accord, the books made it clear that he was under the Imperius Curse the entire time. This makes more sense since Voldemort wanted to rule from the shadows without the risk of one of his followers suddenly deciding that, as Minister for Magic, they had more power than him. Thicknesse woke up from his curse the moment Lord Voldemort was killed, having had no idea what had happened to him over that year.
Kingsley Shacklebolt (1998-Unknown)
The British wizarding world's fourth Auror Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, took over as "caretaker Minister" immediately after Lord Voldemort's downfall. He was responsible for herding up all Lord Voldemort's followers and determining a plan to bring the magical population back from the devastating effects of the Second Wizarding War. After everyone had had a moment to breathe and get organized, Shacklebolt was officially elected Minister for Magic.
Among Shacklebolt's most notable actions while Minister for Magic was removing the dementors from Azkaban prison. Though the fortress continued to be used as a prison, the criminals were no longer guarded by the terrible creatures and were therefore kept in a far more humane environment. Overall, he was seen as a fair and capable leader—precisely what could be expected from one of the most powerful wizards in Harry Potter.
Hermione Granger (Unknown - Present)
Though it's unclear exactly what year Hermione was elected as Minister for Magic, she confidently held the office as of 2019 when Harry Potter and the Cursed Child kicked off. She had started her career at the Ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where she worked to fight for the rights of non-humans such as house-elves. She then became deputy head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, working alongside Harry Potter and Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt to radically reform the legislature surrounding wizarding blood status.
Hermione was only the second Muggle-born Minister for Magic in British wizarding world history, and this thankfully went a lot better than it did for Nobby Leach. Thanks to her role in the Second Wizarding World and the massive reformations she had already been part of as a Ministry employee, Hermione's election after Harry Potter was likely an easy one to win—despite her blood status. Ultimately, it's assumed that she will continue to serve the wizarding world of Harry Potter until the next Minister for Magic is ready to take on the mantle.
Source: Wizarding World
