Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham

The Right Honourable
The Lord Grantham
PC
First Lord of Trade
In office
9 December 1780 – 11 July 1782
Monarch George III
Prime Minister Lord North
The Marquess of Rockingham
Preceded by The Earl of Carlisle
Succeeded by The Lord Sydney (President of the Committee on Trade and Foreign Plantations)
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
In office
13 July 1782 – 2 April 1783
Monarch George III
Prime Minister The Earl of Shelburne
Preceded by Hon. Charles James Fox
Succeeded by Hon. Charles James Fox
Personal details
Born 30 November 1738 (2016-12-09UTC03:03:25)
Vienna, Austria
Died 20 July 1786 (1786-07-21) (aged 47)
Nationality British
Political party Whig
Spouse(s) Lady Mary Yorke
(1757-1830)
Alma mater Christ's College, Cambridge

Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham PC (30 November 1738 – 20 July 1786) was a British politician and statesman. He notably served as Foreign Secretary between 1782 and 1783.

Background and education

Grantham was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham, British Ambassador to Austria at the time, by his wife Frances, daughter of Thomas Worsley. He was educated at Westminster School and at Christ's College, Cambridge,[1]

Political career

Grantham entered parliament as member for Christchurch in 1761,[2] and succeeded to the peerage, because of his father's death, in 1770. That year he was appointed to the Privy Council. In 1771 he was sent as British Ambassador to Spain and retained this post until war broke out between Great Britain and Spain in 1779. In 1772, while at the Summer Spanish Court in Aranjuez, he received correspondence from Richard Wall, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs.[3] From 1780 to 1782 Grantham was President of the Board of Trade, and from July 1782 to April 1783 Foreign Secretary under Lord Shelburne.

Family

James Grant of Grant, John Mytton, the Hon. Thomas Robinson, and Thomas Wynne by Nathaniel Dance-Holland, c. 1760.

Lord Grantham married Lady Mary Jemima, daughter of Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke and Jemima Yorke, 2nd Marchioness Grey, in 1780. They had three sons, Thomas, later 2nd Earl de Grey, and Frederick John, later Viscount Goderich and Earl of Ripon, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1827 and 1828. He died on 20 July 1786, aged only 46, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Thomas. Lady Grantham died in January 1830, aged 72 years old.

Styles of address

See also

Wrest Park

References

  1. ↑ "Robinson, Thomas (RBN755T)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  2. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 4)
  3. ↑ Letters from Wall to Robinson, 30 December 1772, 10 December 1776, 13 December 1774, 18 October 1777. Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Record Service L 30/14/409/1-4. Wall lived at Soto de Roma, Íllora, near Granada and mentions people from England visiting him, receiving and sending little presents.
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
Sir Thomas Robinson
John Mordaunt		 Member of Parliament for Christchurch
1761 – 1770
With: James Harris		 Succeeded by
James Harris
Sir James Harris
Political offices
Preceded by
Viscount Villiers		 Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
1770–1771 		Succeeded by
Viscount Hinchingbrooke
Preceded by
The Earl of Carlisle		 First Lord of Trade
1780–1782 		Succeeded by
Thomas Townshend
as President of the Committee on
Trade and Foreign Plantations
Preceded by
Charles James Fox		 Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
1782–1783 		Succeeded by
Charles James Fox
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by
Thomas Robinson		 Baron Grantham
1770–1786 		Succeeded by
Thomas Robinson
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.