William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland
William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland (* 1745 - 28 May 1814 in London ) was a British nobleman and diplomat .
Life
William Eden was a son of Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet, and a brother of Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, the last British governor of the Province of Maryland . William Eden attended Eton College and studied law at Christ Church College of Oxford University . After graduating, he was accepted into the Middle Temple in 1768 . In 1774, Eden was elected to the British House of Commons . Under William Pitt the Elder , he became Lord in the Board of Trade in 1776 ; in 1778 he negotiated in vain with the American colonies for peace. Later, as a member of parliament, Eden played an important role in reforming the criminal law, the police and the prison system.
He became Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1780 and envoy to the French court in 1785. In this function he concluded a trade agreement in 1786, was then envoy to Milan in 1788 and from 1789-92 plenipotentiary to the States General of the Netherlands. Eden had a great influence there on the measures which the allied powers took against France.
In 1789 he was raised to Baron Auckland in the Peerage of Ireland and thus a member of the Irish House of Lords until its dissolution by the Act of Union 1800 . In 1793 he was raised again, this time in the Peerage of Great Britain to Baron Auckland and thereby moved from the British House of Commons to the British House of Lords . Eden defended in a pamphlet the recruitment of emigrants proposed by Prime Minister William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville , the following year the Quiberon expedition, and in 1796 Britain's immense effort in the war against France. Eden was postmaster general from 1798 to 1801. His numerous writings on social, political and commercial issues show honorable attitudes and thorough knowledge.
His younger son Robert John Eden published some of his correspondence from 1772 to 1814 ( The journal and correspondence of William, Lord Auckland. London 1860–1862, 4 volumes).
literature
- Auckland, William Eden . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 2 : Andros - Austria . London 1910, p. 893 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| New title created |
Baron Auckland (Peerage of Ireland) 1789–1814 |
George Eden |
| New title created |
Baron Auckland (Peerage of Great Britain) 1793–1814 |
George Eden |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Eden, William, 1st Baron Auckland |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Eden, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British diplomat and publicist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1745 |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 28, 1814 |
| Place of death | London |