English politician and peer
The Earl Waldegrave
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Disputed
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In office
8 June 1757 ? 12 June 1757
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Preceded by
| The Duke of Devonshire
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Succeeded by
| The Duke of Devonshire
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Born
| (
1715-03-04
)
4 March 1715
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Died
| 13 April 1763
(1763-04-13)
(aged 48)
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Spouse
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Children
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Parent
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Relatives
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James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave
,
KG
,
PC
,
FRS
(4 March 1715 – 13 April 1763) was an English politician and peer who is sometimes regarded as one of the shortest-serving prime ministers in British history. His brief tenure as
First Lord of the Treasury
is lent a more lasting significance by his memoirs, which are regarded as significant in the development of
Whig history
.
[1]
Early life
[
edit
]
Waldegrave was born the eldest son of
James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave
, and his wife, Mary Webb, a daughter of
Sir John Webb, 3rd Baronet
.
Waldegrave was educated at
Westminster
and
Eton
and he inherited his father's titles in 1741.
Career
[
edit
]
He was a
Lord of the Bedchamber
from 1743 to 1752, appointed to the
Privy Council
in 1752 and Governor to
The Prince of Wales
(the future George III) and
Prince Edward
from 1752 to 1756.
After the resignation of
the Duke of Newcastle
as Prime Minister in November 1756,
George II
dismissed
William Pitt
(the driving force of the new government) in April 1757 and invited Lord Waldegrave to take over from Newcastle's successor,
the Duke of Devonshire
, as
First Lord of the Treasury
. Accordingly, Devonshire was briefly dismissed and Lord Waldegrave tried to form a government from 8 to 12 June that year but failed to do so and stepped down, partly because he feared that as Prime Minister, he would fall out with his close friend, the King (as his predecessors had done). Devonshire then continued as First Lord and Prime Minister for almost another two weeks, and Newcastle returned a week later. Waldegrave was made a
Knight of the Garter
on 30 June.
[2]
[a]
Lord Waldegrave retired from public life upon the accession of
George III
in 1760.
Personal life
[
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]
On 15 May 1759, he married
Maria Walpole
, the illegitimate daughter of
Sir Edward Walpole
, at Sir Edward's house in Pall Mall by special licence from the Archbishop of Canterbury. The ceremony was performed by
Frederick Keppel
, the future
Bishop of Exeter
, and the official witnesses were Sir Edward and his brother,
Horace Walpole
.
[3]
The couple had three daughters:
He died of
smallpox
on 13 April 1763 and, lacking male heirs, his titles passed to his younger brother,
John
.
[6]
After his death, his widow Maria married into the
British Royal Family
becoming the wife of
Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh
, King George III's brother. Waldegrave's memoirs were published in 1821.
Descendants
[
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]
His daughter, Lady Anne, and her husband were the great-grandparents of
Charles Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer
, who was the great-grandfather of
Diana, Princess of Wales
and by her they were the ancestors of
The Duke of Cambridge
and
The Duke of Sussex
.
References
[
edit
]
Notes
Sources
External links
[
edit
]