The Duke of Grafton | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byNathaniel Dance-Holland | |
| Prime Minister of Great Britain | |
| In office 14 October 1768 – 28 January 1770 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Chatham |
| Succeeded by | Lord North |
| First Lord of the Treasury | |
| In office 30 July 1766 – 28 January 1770 | |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Chatham Himself |
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Rockingham |
| Succeeded by | Lord North |
| Northern Secretary | |
| In office 12 July 1765 – 14 May 1766 | |
| Prime Minister | The Marquess of Rockingham |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Halifax |
| Succeeded by | Henry Seymour Conway |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Augustus Henry FitzRoy (1735-09-28)28 September 1735 |
| Died | 14 March 1811(1811-03-14) (aged 75) Euston, Suffolk, England |
| Resting place | St Genevieve Churchyard, Euston, Suffolk, England |
| Party | Whig |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 12; includingGeorge,William andJohn |
| Parent |
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| Alma mater | Peterhouse, Cambridge |
| Signature |  |
Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (28 September 1735 – 14 March 1811), styledEarl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was aBritish Whig statesman of theGeorgian era. He is one of a handful ofdukes who have served asprime minister.
He became prime minister in 1768 at the age of 33, leading the supporters ofWilliam Pitt, and was the youngest person to hold the office until the appointment ofWilliam Pitt the Younger 15 years later. However, he struggled to demonstrate an ability to counter increasing challenges to Britain'sglobal dominance following the nation'svictory in the Seven Years' War. He waswidely attacked for allowing France to annexCorsica, and stepped down in 1770, handing over power toLord North.
Fitzroy was born on 9 October 1735. He was a son ofLord Augustus FitzRoy, a captain in theRoyal Navy, and Elizabeth Cosby, the daughter of ColonelWilliam Cosby, who served as a colonialGovernor of New York. Lord Augustus was the third son of the2nd Duke of Grafton and Lady Henrietta Somerset, which made FitzRoy a great-grandson of both the1st Duke of Grafton and theMarquess of Worcester. He was notably a fourth-generation descendant of KingCharles II and the1st Duchess of Cleveland; the surnameFitzRoy stems from this illegitimacy. His younger brother was the1st Baron Southampton. Following the death of hisuncle in 1747, he was styledEarl of Euston as his grandfather's heir apparent.[1]
As Lord Euston, he went to live atWakefield. As a boy, he met the prominentWhig statesmanWilliam Pitt the Elder atStowe House, the seat ofLord Cobham and felt a deep sense of admiration for him.[1] Lord Euston was educated atNewcome's School in Hackney and atWestminster School, made theGrand Tour, and obtained a degree atPeterhouse, Cambridge.[2] Following his education, Lord Euston embarked on theGrand Tour acrossEurope. In 1754, he returned to England.[1]
In 1756, he enteredParliament asMP forBoroughbridge, apocket borough; several months later, he switched constituencies toBury St Edmunds, which was controlled by his family. However, a year later, his grandfather died, and he succeeded as the 3rd Duke of Grafton, which elevated him to theHouse of Lords.[3]
Grafton was immediately created theLord Lieutenant of Suffolk and served in that capacity from 1757 to 1763, when he was dismissed byLord Bute. He would again serve in that position from 1769 to 1790. In November 1756, he was appointedlord of the bedchamber to thePrince of Wales but he resigned from the post in June 1758.[3]
He first became known in politics as an opponent ofLord Bute,[4] a favourite ofKing George III. Grafton aligned himself with theDuke of Newcastle against Lord Bute, whose term as prime minister was short-lived largely because it was felt that the peace terms to which he had agreed at theTreaty of Paris were not a sufficient return forBritain's performance in the Seven Years' War.[5]
In 1765, Grafton was appointed aPrivy Counsellor; then, following discussions withWilliam Pitt the Elder, he was appointedNorthern Secretary inLord Rockingham's first government. However, Rockingham retired the following year, and Pitt (by then Lord Chatham) formed a ministry in which Grafton wasFirst Lord of the Treasury but not the prime minister.[6]
The ministry that assumed office was composed of a diverse coalition, including supporters of the King, followers of Chatham, and members of the officialWhig faction. Initially, it maintained a fragile unity but was widely regarded as a temporary arrangement. Shortly after its formation, Chatham fell ill and withdrew toBath, ceasing to participate in government affairs or communicate with his colleagues. By March 1767, the direction of government had passed to Grafton, marking the end of Chatham's administration.[7]
On 20 September 1769, he was appointed a Knight of theOrder of the Garter.
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Chatham's illness, at the end of 1767, resulted in Grafton becoming the government's effective leader (he is credited with entering the office of prime minister in 1768), but political differences, the impact of theCorsican Crisis and the attacks of "Junius" led to his resignation in January 1770. Also, in 1768, Grafton became Chancellor of Cambridge University.[8] He becameLord Privy Seal inLord North's ministry (1771) but resigned in 1775, being in favour of conciliatory action towards theAmerican colonists. In the second Rockingham ministry of 1782, he was again Lord Privy Seal and continued in the post in the followingShelburne ministry until March 1783.[6]
Grafton was a strong supporter of moves to reform themilitia during the Seven Years' War, and asLord Lieutenant of Suffolk his county was one of the first to raise its quota, in two regiments on 27 April 1759. He soon took personal command of theWest Suffolk Militia as itsColonel. The militia remained on active service until 1762. The militia was called out again after the outbreak of theWar of American Independence when Britain was threatened with invasion by the Americans' allies, France and Spain. On 26 March 1778, Grafton was ordered to embody the two regiments once more. In that summer, the West Suffolks under Grafton formed part of a concentration at Coxheath Camp, nearMaidstone inKent, which was the army's largest training camp. The duke was chosen to train the grenadier companies of all the battalions in camp, and he worked them hard, 7–8 hours a day. Observers of the camp noted that the discipline of the West Suffolk Militia under Grafton was especially good. He resigned his commission on grounds of ill-health in February 1780, and his 20-year-old son and heir,George, Earl of Euston, succeeded him as colonel of the West Suffolk Militia.[9][10][11]
In later years Grafton was a prominentUnitarian, being one of the early members of the inauguralEssex Street Chapel under Rev.Theophilus Lindsey when it was founded in 1774. Grafton had associated with a number of liberal Anglican theologians when at Cambridge, and devoted much time to theological study and writing after leaving office as prime minister. In 1773, in the House of Lords, he supported a bill to release Anglican clergy from subscribing to all theThirty-nine Articles. He became a supporter of moral reform among the wealthy and of changes to the church. He was the author of:
He was a sponsor of Richard Watson'sConsideration of the Expediency of Revising the Liturgy and Articles of the Church of England (published in 1790), and he funded the printing of 700 copies of Griesbach's edition of the GreekNew Testament in 1796.[12]
The Duke also hadhorse racing interests. Hisracing colours were sky blue, with a black cap.[13]
Grafton County, New Hampshire,[14] in the United States, is named in his honour, as is the city ofGrafton, New South Wales, Australia, the town ofGrafton, New York, the unincorporated community ofGrafton, Virginia, and possibly the township (since 1856 a city) ofGrafton, West Virginia. The Grafton Centre Shopping Mall in Cambridge is also named after him and indeed lies on Fitzroy Street.Cape Grafton inFar North Queensland was named after him by LieutenantJames Cook during hisfirst voyage of discovery.
Grafton had the longest post-premiership of any prime minister in British history,totalling 41 years and 45 days.[15]
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On 29 January 1756, he marriedThe Hon. Anne Liddell, daughter ofHenry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth (1708–1784), at Lord Ravensworth's house in St James's Square, by licence. The marriage was witnessed by Lord Ravensworth andFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford.[16]
Augustus and Anne had three children:
In 1764, the Duke had a very public affair with the courtesanNancy Parsons[20] whom he kept at his townhouse and took to the opera, where they allegedly were foundin flagrante delicto. This brazen lack of convention offended society's standards. After the Duchess had become pregnant by her own lover, theEarl of Upper Ossory, she and the Duke were divorced by Act of Parliament, passed 23 March 1769.[21][page needed] Three months later, on 24 June 1769, the Duke marriedElizabeth Wrottesley (1 November 1745 – 25 May 1822), daughter of theReverend Sir Richard Wrottesley,Dean of Worcester.[22] They had the following children:
Grafton is thus the first British prime minister beforeAnthony Eden[23] (and one of only three) to have been divorced, and the second, afterRobert Walpole, to marry while in office.[citation needed] Grafton would be the only prime minister to divorce and remarry while in office untilBoris Johnson in 2021.[24]FitzRoy died on 14 March 1811.
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| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Lord of the Treasury | (head of ministry) | 14 October 1768 (1768-10-14) | 28 January 1770 (1770-01-28) | Whig | |
| Lord Chancellor | 30 July 1766 (1766-07-30) | 17 January 1770 (1770-01-17) | Whig | ||
| 17 January 1770 (1770-01-17) | 20 January 1770 (1770-01-20) | Independent | |||
| Lord President of the Council | 22 December 1767 (1767-12-22) | 24 November 1779 (1779-11-24) | Tory | ||
| Lord Privy Seal | 1768 (1768) | 1770 (1770) | Independent | ||
| 11 September 1767 (1767-09-11) | 27 March 1782 (1782-03-27) | Tory | |||
| Secretary of State for the Northern Department | 20 January 1768 (1768-01-20) | 21 October 1768 (1768-10-21) | Tory | ||
| 21 October 1768 (1768-10-21) | 19 December 1770 (1770-12-19) | Independent | |||
| Secretary of State for the Southern Department | 30 July 1766 (1766-07-30) | 20 October 1768 (1768-10-20) | Whig | ||
Thomas Thynne, 3rd Viscount Weymouth | 21 October 1768 (1768-10-21) | 12 December 1770 (1770-12-12) | Tory | ||
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | 27 February 1768 (1768-02-27) | 27 August 1772 (1772-08-27) | Independent | ||
| First Lord of the Admiralty | SirEdward Hawke | 1766 (1766) | 1771 (1771) | Independent | |
| Master-General of the Ordnance | 14 May 1763 (1763-05-14) | 18 October 1770 (1770-10-18) | Independent | ||
| Minister without Portfolio | 1768 (1768) | 1770 (1770) | Whig | ||
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Grafton, Dukes of s.v. Augustus Henry Fitzroy".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 317.The Duke of Grafton, who retired in 1770 aged 34 and lived for another 41 years, was both the youngest prime ministerial retiree and had the longest post-premiership.
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1765–1766 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First Lord of the Treasury 1766–1770 | Succeeded by |
| Leader of the House of Lords 1766–1770 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Great Britain 14 October 1768 – 28 January 1770 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Privy Seal 1771–1775 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Privy Seal 1782–1783 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBoroughbridge 1756–1757 Served alongside:Sir Cecil Bisshopp, Bt | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBury St Edmunds 1756–1757 Served alongside:Felton Hervey | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk 1757–1763 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk 1769–1790 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1768–1811 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Grafton 1757–1811 | Succeeded by |
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