Grey Sir George

Grey, Sir George (1799-1882), statesman, was a nephew of Earl Grey. Soon after his entrance into Parliament (1832) he became Under-Secretary for the Colonies (1834-39), and as such delivered some forcible speeches in support of the action of the Government in Canada and Jamaica. As Home Secretary under Lord John Russell (1846-52), he showed both firmness and judgment in his method of dealing with the Chartist agitation. In 1849 the disturbed state of Ireland forced him to introduce a Bill suspending the Habeas Corpus Act. After holding office as Colonial Secretary under Lord Aberdeen (1854), he became Home Secretary in the first and second Ministries of Lord Palmerston (1855-58, 1859-65). During this period he introduced several reforms in matters of prison discipline, improving the ticket-of-leave system, and passing the Prison Ministers' Bill, which provided that Nonconformists should be attended by their own ministers. Sir George Grey remained in office under Earl Russell, but resigned in 1866.