John Major became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on November 28, 1990. He succeeded Margaret Thatcher after she resigned following a leadership contest within the Conservative Party. Major was formally appointed prime minister when Queen Elizabeth II invited him to form a government. At 47, he was the youngest prime minister since Lord Rosebery some 95 years earlier. Major led the Conservative Party to a general election victory in 1992, serving as prime minister until May 1997 when he was succeeded by Tony Blair.
