Grenville George

Grenville, George (1712-1770), an English statesman, was the second son of Richard Grenville, of Wotton, Bucks. He was educated at Oxford, and was called to the Bar in 1735. Six years later he was elected member for Buckingham, which he represented till his death. He joined the party called the "Boy Patriots," and acted with the Opposition even after his appointment in 1744 as a Lord of the Admiralty. Three years later he went to the Treasury as junior Lord, and in 1754 became a Privy Councillor after accepting office under Newcastle. He still, however, acted with Pitt and his brother Lord Temple, and resigned the post of Treasurer of the Navy soon after his appointment both in this and the Devonshire Administration. Having accepted it a third time in 1757, he succeeded in carrying a useful measure providing for the payment of seamen's wages. In 1761 Grenville became a Cabinet Minister, and next year was named one of the Secretaries of State under Bute, but soon exchanged this office and the leadership in the Commons for that of First Lord of the Admiralty. He had now for some time broken with Pitt, and in a debate in March, 1763, in which Grenville defended the proposed cider duty by repeatedly asking to be told where new taxes might be laid, that statesman covered him with ridicule by quoting a popular song, "Gentle shepherd, tell me where." The name of the "Gentle Shepherd" stuck to the unfortunate Grenville for years afterwards.

Nevertheless, on the resignation of Bute a month later, Grenville became Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, but was very soon obliged to insist on the cessation of the secret influence of the king's favourite. On April 30 Wilkes was arrested under a general warrant for his attack on the King's Speech in the North Briton. The king made two attempts to get rid of his Minister in the summer, but failed, and in September the Duke of Bedford and his friends joined the Ministry. In March of the following year a resolution declaring the possible desirability of imposing stamp duties on the colonies passed quietly through the House, and on February 7, 1765, the resolutions definitely imposing them met with as little opposition. After the exclusion of the Princess Dowager's name from the Regency Bill, George III. made another attempt to oust Grenville, and again failed, but soon after induced Rockingham to form a government. Grenville was dismissed in July, 1765. Next year he ably defended the Stamp Act, and in 1767 succeeded in defeating the Ministry on the budget. In the following year he "inspired" a pamphlet which drew a reply from Burke.

In February, 1769, Grenville in an able speech opposed the expulsion of Wilkes from the House; and before his death in 1770 succeeded in carrying an important measure by which the trial of election petitions was transferred from the House of Commons to a Select Committee. George Grenville was an able financier, and possessed such a good knowledge of the business of the House that he was at one time destined for the Speakership. He had a strong sense of duty, great industry, and absolute integrity; but these good qualities were balanced by a lawyer-like narrowness of view, a tendency to verbosity, and a dictatorial manner which offended the king and many of his own colleagues. Burke, in one of his speeches, paid a noble tribute to his character.