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Charles Grey 2nd Earl Grey


(born March 13, 1764, Falloden, Northumberland, Eng. — died July 17, 1845, Howick, Northumberland) British politician, leader of the Whig Party, and prime minister (1830 – 34). Grey entered Parliament in 1786 and soon became prominent among the aristocratic Whigs, led by Charles James Fox, in opposition to William Pitt's conservative government. In 1806 Grey became first lord of the Admiralty in Lord Grenville's government, and, when Fox died the same year, Grey became foreign secretary and leader of the Foxite Whigs. In 1807 the dismissal of the ministry and the loss of his seat for Northumberland because of his Catholic sympathies left Grey with a distaste for office. From 1815 to 1830 he was more patron than leader of the divided Whig opposition. In 1830 he became prime minister with popular backing for parliamentary reform. After considerable debate and conflict, he won adoption of the Reform Bill of 1832.

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British History: Charles Grey

Grey, Charles, 2nd Earl Grey (1764-1845). Prime minister. Son of General Sir Charles Grey of Fallodon, Northumberland, Grey entered Parliament in 1786 as a member for Northumberland. Grey inherited Howick in 1808, from which he could rarely be tempted to attend to his duties as leader of the Whig Party after Fox's death.

A headstrong young man, Grey was attracted to Fox and his circle and joined the opposition to Pitt. He distinguished himself from the outset as a brilliant orator in the House of Commons, but in 1792 he committed himself to parliamentary reform, helping to found the Association of the Friends of the People. He hoped to use the reform movement to advance his career but the step split the Whigs, aristocratic grandees like the duke of Portland and Earl Fitzwilliam being frightened by the prospect of the spread of the French Revolution. They joined Pitt in 1794, while Fox and Grey led the rump of the party in opposition.

After the peace of Amiens and the subsequent resumption of war against Napoleon the Whigs formed a coalition with the group led by Lord Grenville, but their conservatism meant that Grey had to give up active support of reform. In the ‘Ministry of All the Talents’ (1806-7) Grey served as 1st lord of the Admiralty and after Fox's death succeeded him as foreign secretary. After the fall of the ‘Talents’, Grey tried to steer a middle course between radicalism and conservatism.

In 1807 Grey inherited the peerage which, to his dismay, Addington had conferred on his father in 1802. For the remainder of his life he sat in the House of Lords, where his oratorical gifts were less effective. Though he never quite abandoned the position of leader of the Whig opposition, the party suffered from a lack of positive direction. He consistently advocated catholic emancipation and gave important assistance to Wellington in achieving it in 1829.

In 1830 George IV's death removed the royal veto on Grey and at the same time the demand for parliamentary reform revived in the country. Wellington's refusal to consider it broke up his administration and William IV sent for Grey, at the age of 66, to form the ministry which was to pass the Great Reform Act. This was Grey's major achievement. He proposed it on the same principles which he had professed in 1792, the need to satisfy the demand of the respectable classes for greater representation while denying power to the mass of the people. He was able to persuade William IV to maintain a reluctant support for the measure and, finally, to promise to create enough new peers, if necessary, to force the bill through the House of Lords. His cabinet was a coalition of interests rather than a united party, and in 1834 when its divisions over the Irish church question became public Grey resigned, with relief at ending his burdensome duties. He spent the rest of his life in retirement at Howick.

 
Wikipedia: Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
The Earl Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
In office
22 November, 1830 – 16 July, 1834
Monarch William IV
Preceded by The Duke of Wellington
Succeeded by The Viscount Melbourne
Born 13 March 1764(1764--)
Fallodon, Northumberland, England
Died 17 July 1845 (aged 81)
Political party Whig
Alma mater Trinity College, Cambridge

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC (13 March 1764 – 17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig statesman and Prime Minister.

Grey's life

Descended from a long-established Northumbrian family seated at Howick Hall, Grey was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, and was elected to Parliament at the age of 22 in 1786. He became a part of the Whig circle of Charles James Fox, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and the Prince of Wales, and soon became one of the major leaders of the Whig party. Grey was noted for advocating Parliamentary reform and Catholic emancipation. His affair with the Duchess of Devonshire, herself an active political campaigner, did him little harm although it nearly caused her to be divorced by her husband.

In 1806 Grey, now Lord Howick due to his father's elevation to the peerage as Earl Grey, became a part of the Ministry of All the Talents (a coalition of Foxite Whigs, Grenvillites, and Addingtonites) as First Lord of the Admiralty. Following Fox's death later that year, Howick took over both as Foreign Secretary and as leader of the Whigs.

The government fell from power the next year, and Howick went to the Lords the same year, succeeding his father as Earl Grey. He continued in opposition for the next 23 years.

In 1830, the Whigs finally returned to power, with Grey as Prime Minister. His Ministry was a notable one, seeing passage of the Reform Act 1832, which finally saw the reform of the House of Commons, and the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire in 1833. As the years had passed, however, Grey had become more conservative, and he was cautious about initiating more far-reaching reforms. In 1834 Grey retired from public life, leaving Lord Melbourne as his successor.

Earl Grey tea is named after Grey. He is commemorated by Grey's Monument in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, which consists of a statue of Lord Grey standing atop a 41 m (135 ft) high column. The monument lends its name to Monument Metro station on the Tyne and Wear Metro located directly underneath. Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne is also indebted to Lord Grey for its name. Grey also gave his name to Grey College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Durham.

Grey married to Mary Elizabeth Ponsonby, only daughter of William Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Imokilly in 1794. He had seven daughters (one illegitimate) and ten sons, including:

Lord Grey's Ministry, November 1830 - July 1834

Lord Grey atop the Grey's Monument, looking down Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne
Enlarge
Lord Grey atop the Grey's Monument, looking down Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne

Changes

References

  • Dod, Charles R. The Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland: Including All the Titled Classes. London: Whittaker, 1844. googlebooks.com Accessed September 23, 2007
  • Mosley, Charles (editor). (1999). Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 106th edition
  • 10 Downing Street website, PMs in history. Retrieved on 2006-07-26.


External links


Political offices
Preceded by
The Lord Barham		 First Lord of the Admiralty
1806		 Succeeded by
Thomas Grenville
Preceded by
Charles James Fox		 Foreign Secretary
1806 – 1807		 Succeeded by
George Canning
Leader of the House of Commons
1806 – 1807		 Succeeded by
Spencer Perceval
Preceded by
The Duke of Wellington		 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
22 November 1830 – 16 July 1834		 Succeeded by
The Viscount Melbourne
Leader of the House of Lords
1830 – 1834
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Charles Grey		 Earl Grey
1807 – 1845		 Succeeded by
Henry Grey
Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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