Charles Grant, 1st Baron Glenelg
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Charles Grant, 1st Baron Glenelg, PC, FRS (26 October 1778 – 23 April 1866) was a Scottish politician and colonial administrator who served as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.
Background and education
Grant was born in Kidderpore, Bengal Presidency, British India, the eldest son of Charles Grant, chairman of the directors of the British East India Company. His brother, Sir Robert Grant, was also an MP as well as Governor of Bombay. He was educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and became a fellow in 1802. He was called to the bar in 1807.
Political career
In 1811 Grant was elected to the British House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Inverness Burghs. He held that seat until 1818, when he was returned for Inverness-shire. He was a Lord of the Treasury from December 1813, and when retaking his seat after the requisite ministerial by-election he neglected to retake the parliamentary oaths in the prescribed manner; a private act of Parliament, Mr. Grant's Indemnity Act 1814 (54 Geo. 3. c. 3 Pr.) indemnified him against the penalties due for the breach. In August 1819 he became Chief Secretary for Ireland and a Privy Counsellor. In 1823 he was appointed Vice-President of the Board of Trade; from September 1827 to June 1828 he was President of the Board of Trade and Treasurer of the Navy.
Grant broke with the Tories over Reform and joined the Whigs (via the Canningite Tory splinter group). He was President of the Board of Control under Lord Grey and Lord Melbourne from November 1830 to November 1834. At the Board of Control Grant was primarily responsible for the Government of India Act 1833 that altered the constitution of the Government of India. In April 1835 he became Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, and was created Baron Glenelg, of Glenelg in the County of Inverness. His term of office was a stormy one. His differences with Sir Benjamin d'Urban, Governor of Cape Colony, were serious; but more so were those with King William IV and others over the administration of Canada. Lord Glenelg was still Secretary when the Canadian rebellion broke out in 1837; his policy was fiercely attacked in Parliament; he became involved in disputes with Lord Durham, and the movement for his supersession found supporters even among his colleagues in the cabinet. In February 1839 Lord Glenelg resigned. He has been called the last of the Canningites.
Personal life
Lord Glenelg died in Cannes, France in April 1866, aged 87. The barony became extinct on his death.
Legacy
A ship, the Lord Glenelg was named after him which voyaged from Britain to Australia in 1841.
Notes
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Glenelg, Charles Grant". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 121.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005:
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byPeter Baillie | Member of Parliament for Inverness Burghs 1811–1818 | Succeeded byGeorge Cumming |
| Preceded byCharles Grant | Member of Parliament for Inverness-shire 1818–1835 | Succeeded byAlexander William Chisholm |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded byRobert Peel | Chief Secretary for Ireland 1818–1821 | Succeeded byHenry Goulburn |
| Preceded byThomas Wallace | Vice-President of the Board of Trade 1823–1828 | Succeeded byThomas Frankland Lewis |
| Preceded byWilliam Huskisson | President of the Board of Trade 1827–1828 | Succeeded byWilliam Vesey-FitzGerald |
| Treasurer of the Navy 1827–1828 | ||
| Preceded byThe Lord Ellenborough | President of the Board of Control 1830–1834 | Succeeded byThe Lord Ellenborough |
| Preceded byThe Earl of Aberdeen | Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1835–1839 | Succeeded byThe Marquess of Normanby |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Glenelg 1835–1866 | Extinct |