The Earl Granville | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait byThomas Lawrence, 1804–1809 | |
| Ambassador to Russia | |
| In office 1804–1805 | |
| Preceded by | Sir John Borlase Warren, Bt |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Cathcart |
| In office 1807–1812 | |
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Cathcart |
| Ambassador to France | |
| In office 1824–1828 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Stuart |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Stuart de Rothesay |
| In office 1830–1835 | |
| Preceded by | The Lord Stuart de Rothesay |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Cowley |
| In office 1835–1841 | |
| Preceded by | The Lord Cowley |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Cowley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1773-10-12)12 October 1773 |
| Died | 8 January 1846(1846-01-08) (aged 72) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
|
| Parents | |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville,GCB, PC (12 October 1773 – 8 January 1846), styledLord Granville Leveson-Gower from 1786 to 1815 andThe Viscount Granville from 1815 to 1833, was a BritishWhig statesman and diplomat from theLeveson-Gower family.
Granville was the second son and youngest child ofGranville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford from his marriage toLady Susanna Stewart, daughter ofAlexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway. His elder, paternal half-brother wasGeorge Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland.
Granville was educated at Dr. Kyle's school atHammersmith, and then privately by John Chappel Woodhouse. He matriculated atChrist Church, Oxford, in April 1789 but never took a degree. Nevertheless, ten years later, in 1799, the honorary degree ofDCL was conferred upon him.[1]
Granville began his career as a member of the House of Commons, representingLichfield from 1795 to 1799, andStaffordshire for the next sixteen years. From 1797 to 1799 he wasColonel of the2nd Staffordshire Militia.[2] Granville served as British ambassador to Russia (10 August 1804 – 28 November 1805 and 1806–1807) and France (1824–1828, 1830[3]–1835, 1835–1841).
In 1815 he was raised to the peerage asViscount Granville of Stone Park in the County of Stafford.[4] In 1833 during his second stint as ambassador to France, he was createdEarl Granville and alsoBaron Leveson of Stone Park in the County of Stafford.[5][6]
While a recent historian describes Granville as "a drab figure, the original stuffed-shirt – starch outside, sawdust within",[7] he was celebrated as a male beauty in his own time, with Prime MinisterWilliam Pitt the Younger comparing him to "Hadrian'sAntinous".[8]
Lord Granville marriedLady Harriet Cavendish (1785–1862), daughter ofWilliam Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, andLady Georgiana Spencer, in 1809. They had three sons and two daughters:
Prior to marrying Lady Harriet Cavendish in 1809, Granville was the lover of Lady Harriet's maternal aunt,Henrietta Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough (née Lady Henrietta Frances Spencer), with whom he fathered two illegitimate children:Harriette Stewart and George Stewart. For seventeen years, she "loved [Granville] to idolatry",[11] but then, she understood that he must marry in order to further his career and assure his posterity, and so she actively collaborated in the arrangements for his wedding to Lady Harriet (known in the family as "Harry-O"), who was understandably reluctant to marry her aunt's lover.[12]
Granville had numerous other love affairs, including withLady Hester Stanhope, the adventurer and antiquarian, who attempted suicide after he jilted her in 1804. It was speculated at the time, and by her biographers since, that Stanhope was pregnant at the time with Granville's child.[13]
Lord Granville died in January 1846, aged 72. The Countess Granville died in November 1862, aged 77.[14][15]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forLichfield 1795–1799 With:Thomas Anson | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forStaffordshire 1799–1801 With:Sir Edward Littleton, Bt | Succeeded by Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Parliament of Great Britain | Member of Parliament forStaffordshire 1801–1815 With:Sir Edward Littleton, Bt 1801–1812 Edward John Littleton 1812–1815 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | British Ambassador to Russia 1804–1805 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | British Ambassador to Russia 1807–1812 | Vacant Title next held by The Viscount Cathcart |
| Preceded by | British Ambassador to France 1824–1828 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | British Ambassador to France 1830–1835 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | British Ambassador to France 1835–1841 | |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary at War 1809 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Earl Granville 2nd creation 1833–1846 | Succeeded by |
| Viscount Granville 1815–1846 | ||
