Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford

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Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford

Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford KG PC (born April 13, 1732 in London ; † August 5, 1792 ibid), known from 1752 to 1790 under the courtesy title of Lord North , was Prime Minister of Great Britain and one of the main actors in the conflict over the American Independence .

He was the son of Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford (1704-1790) and his first wife Lady Lucy Montague († 1734). He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College , Oxford.

He was from 1754 to 1790 for Banbury member of the House of Commons and was first involved as junior Lord of the Treasury since July 2, 1759 in the Newcastle - Pitt coalition in government.

In December 1767 he succeeded Charles Townshend as Chancellor of the Exchequer . When Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton , resigned as Prime Minister, North formed a new government on January 28, 1770. From 1778 he was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports . He resigned as Prime Minister on March 27, 1782 following the British defeat at the Battle of Yorktown a year earlier. The focus of his reign was initially on the growing problems in the American colonies and later on the American War of Independence .

Modern medal commemorating the House of Commons' motion of no confidence against Lord North on February 27, 1782. This ended the American War of Independence.

In April 1783, North returned to power as Home Secretary in the unequal coalition with radical Whig leader Charles James Fox under the official leadership of William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland . King George III who loathed Fox, never forgave this intended betrayal, and North did not return to government after retiring from it in December 1783.

He gave up his seat in the House of Commons in 1790 after he was blind. In the same year he succeeded his father as Earl of Guilford and was a member of the House of Lords until his death .

Marriage and offspring

Since May 20, 1756 he was married to Anne Speke. He had six children with her:

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Powicke & Fryde: Handbook of British Chronology. Second Edition, London, 1961, p. 105
  2. ^ A b Powicke & Fryde: Handbook of British Chronology. Second Edition, London, 1961, p. 108

Web links

Commons : Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
predecessor Office successor
Francis North Earl of Guilford
1790-1792 		George North
personal data
SURNAME North, Frederick, 2nd Earl of Guilford
ALTERNATIVE NAMES North, Frederick; North, lord
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prime Minister of Great Britain
DATE OF BIRTH April 13, 1732
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH August 5, 1792
Place of death London