Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey

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The Earl Grey

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 22 November 1830 – 16 July 1834
Preceded by	The Duke of Wellington
Succeeded by	The Viscount Melbourne

Born	13 March 1764 Fallodon, Northumberland, England
Died	17 July 1845
Political party	Whig

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.

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 also gave his name to Grey College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Durham.

Grey married Hon. Mary Ponsonby, only daughter of William Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Imokilly in 1794. They had thirteen children, including:

Louisa Elizabeth Grey (1797–1841) married John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham
Henry George Grey, 3rd Earl Grey (1802–1894)
General Sir Charles Grey (1804–1870), father of Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
Admiral George Grey (1809–1891)

[edit] Lord Grey's Ministry, November 1830 - July 1834

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

Changes

June, 1831 - Lord John Russell, the Paymaster of the Forces, and Edward Smith-Stanley, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, join the Cabinet.
April, 1833 - Lord Goderich, now Lord Ripon, succeeds Lord Durham as Lord Privy Seal. Edward Smith-Stanley succeeds Ripon as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. His successor as Chief Secretary for Ireland is not in the Cabinet. Edward Ellice, the Secretary at War, joins the Cabinet.
June, 1834 - Thomas Spring Rice succeeds Stanley as Colonial Secretary. Lord Carlisle succeeds Ripon as Lord Privy Seal. Lord Auckland succeeds Graham as First Lord of the Admiralty. The Duke of Richmond leaves the Cabinet. His successor as Postmaster-General is not in the Cabinet. Charles Poulett Thomson, the President of the Board of Trade, and James Abercrombie, the Master of the Mint, join the Cabinet.

[edit] References

Mosley, Charles (editor). (1999). Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 106th edition
10 Downing Street website, PMs in history. Retrieved on 2006-07-26.

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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
Preceded by Charles James Fox	Leader of the House of Commons 1806–1807	Succeeded by Spencer Perceval
Preceded by The Duke of Wellington	Prime Minister 1830–1834	Succeeded by The Viscount Melbourne
Preceded by The Duke of Wellington	Leader of the House of Lords 1830–1834	Succeeded by The Viscount Melbourne
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Charles Grey	Earl Grey 1807–1845	Succeeded by Henry Grey