John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville

John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville

John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville , 2nd Baron Carteret PC (born April 22, 1690 in Westminster , London , † January 2, 1763 in Bath , Somerset ) was a British diplomat and politician.

Family and early years

Carteret was the eldest son of George Carteret, 1st Baron Carteret and Grace Carteret, 1st Countess Granville . His maternal great-grandfather was the famous Admiral Sir Richard Grenville . The family was of Norman descent and had long been a resident of the Channel Islands .

At the age of five he inherited his father's title of nobility as 2nd Baron Carteret and 3rd Baronet , of Metesches. He attended Westminster School and studied at Christ Church College of Oxford University .

During his life he was considered to be particularly educated with special knowledge not only in the ancient languages , but also in modern languages and literature. He was one of the very few Britons of his time who spoke fluent German and could therefore converse with the kings from the House of Hanover in their mother tongue . On the other hand, however, he was also considered an intellectual and aristocrat with little understanding of the life and thought of the common people.

In 1710 Carteret married Lady Frances Worsley, granddaughter of Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth . When he came of age the following year, he took his seat in the House of Lords .

From 1715 to 1720, when he sold the fiefdom, he was 7th Seigneur of Sark in the Channel Islands . He also held the post of Vogt of Jersey (in absentia) from 1715 and was Seigneur of St. Ouen in Jersey.

Diplomatic career

In 1719 he became the British ambassador to Sweden. He maintained close contacts with all rulers in the Nordic region. Two years later he entered the government of Sir Robert Walpole as minister , but he was no match for his intrigues.

Because of this, he went to Dublin in 1724 as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland . He held this office for six years. He was considered a good and popular Lord Lieutenant who managed to strike a balance between British and Irish interests.

Politician

On his return to London, Carteret became the leader of the opposition in the House of Lords. He was initially denied other political offices because of his differences with Walpole.

It was not until 1742 that the opposition succeeded in overthrowing Walpole, and Carteret rejoined the government and became Leader of the House of Lords . As a minister, he supported the political line of King George II , for which he was heavily criticized, and advocated active intervention on the mainland in favor of the Austrian ally in the War of the Austrian Succession . In 1743 he accompanied the king to Germany and took part in the battle of Dettingen . Five years later Carteret was instrumental in bringing about the Second Aachen Peace , which ended the War of Succession.

His wife had died as early as 1743. The following year he married Lady Sophia Fermor, one of the beauties of London society who was younger than Carteret's daughters from his first marriage. A few months later, when his mother died in 1744, he inherited her nobility titles as 2nd Earl Granville and 2nd Viscount Carteret . His second wife died in 1745. This marriage strengthened Carteret's reputation for being an eccentric .

In 1751 he became Lord President of the Council ; he served as an advisor to both the king and the prime minister in this capacity. An interim offer to become Prime Minister , he turned down and instead supported William Pitt .

Carteret held the office of Lord President until his death in 1763. His titles of nobility passed to his son Robert.

literature

• Basil Williams: Carteret and Newcastle. A Contrast in Contemporaries. First edition, new impression. Cass, Cambridge 1966.
• George Fisher Russell Barker: Carteret, John . In: Leslie Stephen (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 9, Smith, Elder & Co, London 1887, pp. 210-215.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Alfred Harry Ewen, Allan R. de Carteret: The Fief of Sark. Guernsey Press, Guernsey 1969, 88.

predecessor	Office	successor
George Carteret	Baron Carteret 1695-1763	Robert Carteret
Grace Granville	Earl Granville 1744-1763	Robert Carteret
Charles FitzRoy	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1724-1730	Lionel Sackville
Lionel Sackville	Lord President of the Council 1751-1763	John Russell