George Canning

This article deals with the British politician George Canning , for the British Olympic champion of the same name in the tug of war see George Canning (Sportsman) .

George Canning (born April 11, 1770 in London , † August 8, 1827 ibid) was a British politician who served as Foreign Minister and for a short time as Prime Minister .

George Canning

Early years

Canning was born into a relatively poor family after his father gave up the family inheritance to pay off his large debts. The father, George Canning (1736–1771) died when Canning was one year old. His uncle, Stratford Canning (1744–1787), supported the family and enabled Canning to study at Eton College and Christ Church College , Oxford.

Canning's uncle was a member of the Whig Party and introduced his nephew to other Whigs such as Charles James Fox , Edmund Burke, and Richard Sheridan . However, even under the influence of the French Revolution, Canning soon became a supporter of William Pitt the Younger . With Pitt's help, Canning was elected MP for Newtown on the Isle of Wight , a Rotten borough , and later for Wendover in Buckinghamshire, in 1793 . Canning became a prominent speaker and was one of the first politicians in the country to campaign intensively by making many speeches outside of Parliament. When Burke died in 1797, Canning wrote: "This is an event that affects the whole world - Burke is dead!" Canning was also one of the first prominent politicians of the time to openly use the term " Tory, " a term that was slowly coming into use for Pitt's supporters. In 1824 he was one of the first to use the term "conservative".

First ministerial offices

He received his first ministerial post in 1795 when he became Undersecretary of State in the Foreign Ministry. In this position he proved to be a strong supporter of Pitt. He was often on his side in disagreements with the Foreign Secretary Lord Grenville . In 1799 he became a member of the control commission and 1800 paymaster of the armed forces. In the same year he married - with Pitt as one of the groomsmen - the wealthy heiress Joan Scott, who gave birth to three sons and a daughter. When Pitt resigned in 1801, Canning loyally followed him into the opposition and returned with him to government in 1804 - as Treasurer of the Navy.

When Pitt died in 1806, Canning resigned from office, but was appointed Secretary of State in the new administration of his brother-in-law, the Duke of Portland , a year later . He had primary responsibility for British diplomacy during the Napoleonic Wars, and he was responsible for the plan to outmaneuver Napoleon by attacking the Danish fleet in Copenhagen.

Duel with Castlereagh

In 1809, Canning began a series of government controversies that were to become famous. He quarreled with the Minister for War and the Colonies, Lord Castlereagh , about the sending of troops that Canning had promised Portugal , but which Castlereagh had sent to Holland ( Walcheren Expedition ). The government became increasingly incapable of action as a result of the quarrels between the two men, who were each able to win a few ministers on their side. Portland's health continued to deteriorate and he was no longer in charge. In April, Canning Portland threatened to resign unless Lord Wellesley replaced Castlereagh . Portland pledged to make this move when the opportunity arises and kept this agreement a secret.

Castlereagh found out about the deal in September 1809. He was angry and wanted redress. He challenged Canning to a duel , which was held on September 21, 1809. Canning had never fired a pistol before. So he missed his opponent, while Castlereagh wounded his thigh. As a result, there was great outrage that two cabinet ministers had resorted to such a method. Shortly thereafter, Portland resigned for health reasons and Canning offered himself to King George III. as successor. However, he appointed Spencer Perceval , and so Canning resigned once more, as did Castlereagh.

Return to government

After Perceval was assassinated in 1812, the new Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool , offered Canning to take over the Foreign Office. However, Canning declined because he wanted to be Leader of the House of Commons and was not keen on working with Castlereagh in a government. In the 1812 elections he was elected to the House of Commons for Liverpool. In 1814 he became British Ambassador to Portugal, but returned the following year. He received several other offers from Liverpool; In 1816 he became president of the Control Council of the East India Company ( Board of Control ).

In 1820 he resigned from all offices. This time in protest against the treatment of Queen Caroline , wife of the new King George IV , who had become estranged from her husband. Canning and Caroline were friends and are believed to have had a brief affair as well.

Returned again

Castlereagh, now Marquess of Londonderry, committed suicide in 1822. Canning, originally named Governor General of India, succeeded him as both Foreign Minister and Leader of the House of Commons. In his second term as foreign minister, he successfully tried to keep South America away from French influence. In addition, he supported the Monroe Doctrine of the American President. He also supported the growing number of opponents of slavery, the Greek struggle for independence and the Portuguese Queen Maria II against Dom Miguel .

prime minister

Liverpool retired as Prime Minister in 1827 and Canning was selected to succeed him. He was preferred to both Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , and Sir Robert Peel . Neither of them was ready to serve under Canning, nor were five other members of Liverpool's cabinet or forty newcomers from the old government. The Tory Party was deeply divided between the "High Tories" (or "Ultras", as they were also called after a contemporary party in France) and the moderate ones who supported Canning. As a result, it was difficult for Canning to form a government. So he brought some members of the Whigs into his cabinet, including Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne . It was agreed that the difficult question of parliamentary reform should be left out, since Canning was against the reform and the Whigs were in favor.

However, Canning was no longer in good health. On August 8, 1827, he died in the exact same room in which Charles James Fox had died 21 years earlier. Canning's 119-day tenure is the shortest ever for a UK Prime Minister. Canning was buried in Westminster Abbey. Half a year after his death, his wife received the title of Viscountess Canning, which later passed on to Cannings and their descendants.

His youngest son, Charles John Canning, 1st Earl Canning , became Viceroy of India in 1858 . Canning's eldest son George Charles died in 1820, the second oldest, William Pitt Canning, drowned off Madeira in 1828.

Honors

The Canning River in Western Australia and the Canning River in Alaska are named after him.

literature

• Canning, George . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 5 : Calhoun - Chatelaine . London 1910, p. 186 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
• Douglas Hurd : Choose your Weapons: The British Foreign Secretary . Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 2010. ISBN 978-0-297-85334-3 . (Chapter Castlereagh and Canning, pp. 1-68)
• Paul Jacques Victor Rolo : George Canning. 3 biographical studies . Macmillan, London 1965.
• Harold Temperley : The foreign policy of Canning, 1822-1827. England, the Neo-Holy Alliance and the New World . Bell & Sons, London 1925.

Web links

Wikisource: George Canning  - Sources and full texts (English)

Commons : George Canning  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Works by and about George Canning  in the German Digital Library
• Marjie Bloy: George Canning (1770-1827). In: the Victorian Web