Rockingham

Rockingham, Charles Watson Wentworth, 2nd Marquis of (1730-82), succeeded his father in 1750 and entered the House of Lords, where he obtained the reputation of being a wise and moderate statesman. Attaching himself to the Whig party, he became First Lord of the Treasury in 1765, after Pitt's refusal to accept the office. His Government was not a very brilliant one, and his introduction of Burke into Parliament is his most notable service. He was above all an honest statesman, and strongly objected to the action which led to the loss of the American colonies, thereby earning the hatred of George III. In 1782 he was again Prime Minister, but died three months after his accession to power.