The Viscount Halifax | |
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| Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | |
| In office 6 July 1870 – 17 February 1874 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | William Ewart Gladstone |
| Preceded by | Earl of Kimberley |
| Succeeded by | Earl of Malmesbury |
| Secretary of State for India | |
| In office 18 June 1859 – 16 February 1866 | |
| Prime Minister | Viscount Palmerston Earl Russell |
| Preceded by | Lord Stanley |
| Succeeded by | Earl de Grey and Ripon |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | |
| In office 13 March 1855 – 8 March 1858 | |
| Prime Minister | Viscount Palmerston |
| Preceded by | Sir James Graham |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Pakington |
| President of the Board of Control | |
| In office 30 December 1852 – 3 March 1855 | |
| Prime Minister | Earl of Aberdeen |
| Preceded by | John Charles Herries |
| Succeeded by | Robert Vernon Smith |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
| In office 6 July 1846 – 21 February 1852 | |
| Prime Minister | Lord John Russell |
| Preceded by | Henry Goulburn |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Disraeli |
| First Secretary of the Admiralty | |
| In office 27 April 1835 – 4 October 1839 | |
| Prime Minister | Viscount Melbourne |
| Preceded by | George Robert Dawson |
| Succeeded by | Richard More O'Ferrall |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 10 August 1832 – 14 November 1834 | |
| Prime Minister | Earl Grey Viscount Melbourne |
| Preceded by | Edward Ellice |
| Succeeded by | Sir George Clerk |
| Member of theHouse of Lords | |
Lord Temporal | |
| In office 22 February 1866 – 8 August 1885 | |
| Preceded by | Peerage created |
| Succeeded by | The 2nd Viscount Halifax |
| Member of Parliament forRipon | |
| In office 11 July 1865 – 21 February 1866 | |
| Preceded by | Reginald Vyner |
| Succeeded by | Lord John Hay |
| Member of Parliament forHalifax | |
| In office 10 December 1832 – 11 July 1865 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Edward Akroyd |
| Member of Parliament forWareham | |
| In office 2 May 1831 – 12 December 1832 | |
| Preceded by | James Ewing |
| Succeeded by | John Hales Calcraft |
| Member of Parliament forGreat Grimsby | |
| In office 9 June 1826 – 25 July 1831 | |
| Preceded by | William Duncombe |
| Succeeded by | John Shelley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1800-12-20)20 December 1800 |
| Died | 8 August 1885(1885-08-08) (aged 84) |
| Political party | Whig Liberal |
| Spouse | Lady Mary Grey (d. 1884) |
| Children | 7, includingCharles Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax |
| Alma mater | Oriel College, Oxford |
Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax (20 December 1800 – 8 August 1885), known asSir Charles Wood, 3rd Baronet, between 1846 and 1866, was a BritishWhig politician and Member of the Parliament. He wasChancellor of the Exchequer from 1846 to 1852,First Lord of the Admiralty from 1855 to 1858, andSecretary of State for India from 1859 to 1866.
Halifax was the son ofSir Francis Wood, 2nd Baronet of Barnsley, and his wife Anne, daughter of Samuel Buck. He was educated atEton andOriel College, Oxford, where he studied classics and mathematics.
ALiberal and Member of Parliament from 1826 to 1866, Wood abandoned the seat ofGreat Grimsby and was returned in 1831 for thepocket borough ofWareham, probably as a paying guest, which arrangement enabled him to remain in London in preparation for the reading of theReform Bill. He confided his views to his father:
the reform is an efficient, substantial, anti-democratic, pro-property measure, but it sweeps away rotten boroughs and of course disgusts their proprietors. The main hope therefore of carrying it, is by the voice of the country, thus operating by deciding all wavering votes ... The radicals, for which heaven be praised, support us ...[1]
He voted meticulously for the bill at every stage, and it received the Royal assent in the following year.
Wood served asChancellor of the Exchequer inLord John Russell'sgovernment (1846–1852), where he opposed any further help forIreland during theGreat Famine there. In his 1851 budget, Sir Charles liberalized trade, reducing import duties and encouraging consumer goods. This reduction in tariffs led to a noticeable increase in consumption. In the succeedingTory government, the new ChancellorBenjamin Disraeli, a former protectionist, referred to Wood's influence on economic policy in an interim financial statement on 30 April 1852, setting a trend for the way budgets are presented in the Commons.[2] For Wood, Disraeli was 'petulant and sarcastic', qualities he disliked.[3]
Wood later served asPresident of the Board of Control underLord Aberdeen (1852–1855), asFirst Lord of the Admiralty inLord Palmerston's first administration (1855–1858), and asSecretary of State for India in Palmerston's second government (1859–1866). He succeeded to his father'sbaronetcy in 1846, and in 1866 he was elevated to the peerage asViscount Halifax, ofMonk Bretton in the West Riding of the County of York.[citation needed] After the unexpected death ofLord Clarendon necessitated a reshuffle ofGladstone's first cabinet, Halifax was brought in asLord Privy Seal, serving from 1870 to 1874, his last public office.
TheGreat Famine inIreland (1845–1851) led to the death of one million people, with a further one to two million emigrating. On 30 June 1846, the Tory government ofSir Robert Peel was replaced by a Whig government led by Lord John Russell. The government sought to embed free trade and laissez-faire economics.Sir Charles Trevelyan, a senior civil servant at the Treasury, in close cooperation with Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Charles Wood, sought to oppose intervention in Ireland.[4] Extreme parsimony of the British Government towards Ireland while Wood was in charge of the Treasury greatly enhanced the suffering of those affected by famine. Wood believed in the economic policy ofLaissez-faire and preferred to leave the Irish to starve rather than "undermine the market" by allowing in cheap imported grain.[5] Wood also sharedTrevelyan's anti-Irish, moralistic views, with Wood believing the famine should eliminate the "present habits of dependence", and obliging Irish property to support Irish poverty.[6] Wood wrote to the lord lieutenant that the famine was not accidental, but willed, and would bring along a social revolution: "A want of food and employment is a calamity sent by Providence", it had "precipitated things with a wonderful impetus, so as to bring them to an early head".[6] He hoped the famine would clear small farmers, and lead to a "better" economic system.[7] Wood gave £200 to theBritish Relief Association, the same amount as Robert Peel and, amongst politicians, second only behind Lord John Russell, who gave £300.[8]
As the President of the Board of Control, Wood took a major step in spreading education in India in 1854, when he sent adespatch toLord Dalhousie, theGovernor-General of India. Wood recommended the following:
In accordance with Wood's despatch, education departments were established in every province and universities were opened atCalcutta,Bombay andMadras in 1857, as well as inPunjab in 1882 and inAllahabad in 1887.[citation needed].
Lord Halifax marriedLady Mary Grey (3 May 1807 – 6 July 1884), fifth daughter ofCharles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, on 29 July 1829. They had four sons and three daughters:[citation needed]
Lady Halifax died in 1884. Lord Halifax survived her by just over a year and died in August 1885, aged 84. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest sonCharles, who was the father ofEdward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax.
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Media related toCharles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax at Wikimedia Commons
Works by or aboutCharles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax atWikisource| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forGreat Grimsby 1826–1831 With:George Heneage 1826–1830 George Harris from 1830 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWareham 1831–1832 | Succeeded by |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forHalifax 1832–1865 With:Rawdon Briggs 1832–1835 James Stuart-Wortley 1835–1837 Edward Protheroe 1837–1847 Henry Edwards 1847–1852 Francis Crossley 1852–1959 James Stansfeld 1859–1865 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forRipon 1865–1866 With:Robert Kearsley | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury 1832–1834 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First Secretary of the Admiralty 1835–1839 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the Exchequer 1846–1852 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Board of Control 1852–1855 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First Lord of the Admiralty 1855–1858 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for India 1859–1866 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Privy Seal 1870–1874 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Viscount Halifax 2nd creation 1866–1885 | Succeeded by |
| Baronetage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by | Baronet of Barnsley 1846–1885 | Succeeded by |
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