George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer
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George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer KG PC FRS FSA (1 September 1758 – 10 November 1834) was an English Whig politician.
Spencer, the son of John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer was born in 1758 in Wimbledon and was baptised there on the 16 October 1758. His godparents were King George II, Earl Cowper (his grandmother's second husband) and his great-aunt the Dowager Viscountess Bateman. He was educated at Harrow School from 1770 to 1775 and he won the school's Silver Arrow (an archery prize) in 1771. He then attended Trinity College, Cambridge from 1776 1778 and graduated with a Master of Arts.
Spencer was Whig MP for Northampton from 1780 to 1782 and Whig MP for Surrey from 1782 to 1783. On March 6, 1781, he married Lady Lavinia Bingham (1762–1831), daughter of Charles Bingham, 1st Earl of Lucan and they had nine children:
- John Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer (1782–1845)
- Lady Sarah Spencer (1787–1870), married William Lyttelton, 3rd Baron Lyttelton and had issue.
- Hon. Richard Spencer (1789–1791), died in infancy.
- Captain Hon. Sir Robert Cavendish Spencer (1791–1830), died unmarried.
- Hon. William Spencer (b. & d. 1792), died in infancy.
- Lady Harriet Spencer (b. & d. 1793), died in infancy.
- Lady Georgiana Charlotte Spencer (1794–1823), married George Quin, son of Thomas Taylour, 1st Marquess of Headfort and had issue.
- Vice-Admiral Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer (1798–1857)
- Very Reverend Hon. George Spencer (later known as Father Ignatius Spencer (1799–1864), died unmarried.
He served under Pitt as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1794 to 1801, and then in the Ministry of All the Talents as Home Secretary. He was noted for his interest in literature. Several of his close relations were more famous than he. His son Lord Althorp was one of the chief architects of the passage of the Great Reform Bill in 1832. His sister Georgiana married the Duke of Devonshire and became a famed Whig hostess. Spencer was also High Steward of St Albans from 1783 to 1807, Mayor of St Albans in 1790, President of the Royal Institution from 1813 to 1825 and Commissioner of the Public Records in 1831.
He died in 1834, aged 76 at Althorp and was buried in the nearby village of Great Brington on November 19 of that year.
[edit] See also
- Named after Spencer:
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Marquess of Stafford |
Lord Privy Seal 1794 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Chatham |
| Preceded by The Earl of Chatham |
First Lord of the Admiralty 1794–1801 |
Succeeded by The Earl of St Vincent |
| Preceded by The Lord Hawkesbury |
Home Secretary 1806–1807 |
Succeeded by The Lord Hawkesbury |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by John Spencer |
Earl Spencer 1783–1834 |
Succeeded by John Spencer |
