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Liz Truss joins ranks of the world’s shortest-serving leaders
After 45 days in the role, Liz Truss has become Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister
UK Prime Minister Liz Truss joins a cavalcade of short-lived leaderships.
From abdication to assassination, death and illness; these are the world’s shortest-serving leaders.
Prime Ministers
Australian Prime Minister Frank Forde lasted one week as leader in 1945. He served as the deputy leader of the Labor Party when John Curtin passed away in office.
Australia’s second shortest-serving prime minister was Earle Page, who came to role after the death of Joseph Lyons in 1939.
He served for three weeks before Robert Menzies became the new leader. By comparison, Menzies went on to become Australia’s longest-serving prime minister.
Presidents
William Henry Harrison became the ninth U.S. President, after his 1841 inauguration.
Harrison lasted 32 days in the top job but became the first president to die while in office.
His inauguration was held on a cold and wet day. Some reports suggest he caught pneumonia, which ultimately led to his death on 4 April.
In Mexico, Pedro Lascuráin came to power after a military coup in February 1913.
He was sent in as a political pawn to legitimise the coup, which was led by Victoriano Huerta.
His time as president is believed to have lasted less than an hour, before he resigned to make way Huerta.
Chancellors
When Adolf Hitler killed himself in 1945, Joseph Goebbels became the German Chancellor.
But the day after he entered, Goebbels and his wife, Magda killed themselves.
He remains Germany’s shortest-serving leader.
Emperors
In Russia, Michael II lasted less than 24 hours after the abdication of his brother Tsar Nicholas in 1917.
His tenure marked the end of the tsarist regime in Russia. However, he was murdered after the Russian Revolution in the same year.
Meanwhile, Lady Jane Grey remains Britain’s shortest-serving monarch. She was aged 16 when she became Queen after the death of her cousin Edward VI.
There are also many instances of reigns, which were less than a day. These include Vira Bahu I, who was assassinated on the same day he took to the throne.