George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax
The Right Honourable The Earl of Halifax KG PC |
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The 2nd Earl of Halifax by Joshua Reynolds (1764)
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President of the Board of Trade | |
In office 1748–1761 |
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Monarch | George II |
Preceded by | The Lord Monson |
Succeeded by | The Lord Sandys |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | |
In office 1761–1763 |
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Monarch | George III |
Preceded by | The Duke of Bedford |
Succeeded by | The Earl of Northumberland |
Lord Privy Seal | |
In office 1770–1771 |
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Monarch | George III |
Prime Minister | Frederick North, Lord North |
Preceded by | The Earl of Bristol |
Succeeded by | The Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire |
Personal details | |
Born | 6 October 1716 |
Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. |
Nationality | British |
Political party | Tory |
Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, KG PC (6 October 1716 – 8 June 1771) was a British statesman of the Georgian era. Due to his success in extending American commerce he became known as "father of the colonies".[1] President of the Board of Trade 1748–61, he aided the foundation of Nova Scotia, 1749, the capital Halifax being named after him.
Early life
The son of the 1st Earl of Halifax, he was styled Viscount Sunbury until succeeding his father as 2nd Earl of Halifax in 1739. Educated at Eton College and at Trinity College, Cambridge,[2] he was married in 1741 to Anne Richards (died 1753), who had inherited a great fortune from Sir Thomas Dunk, whose name Halifax took.
Career
After having been an official in the household of Frederick, Prince of Wales, Lord Halifax was made Master of the Buckhounds, and in 1748 he became President of the Board of Trade. While filling this position he helped to found Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, which was named after him, and he helped foster trade, especially with North America.
About this time he attempted, unsuccessfully, to become a Secretary of State, but was only allowed to enter the Cabinet in 1757. In March 1761, Halifax was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and during part of the time which he held this office he was also First Lord of the Admiralty.
He became Secretary of State for the Northern Department under Lord Bute in October 1762, switching to the Southern Department in 1763 and was one of the three ministers to whom King George III entrusted the direction of affairs during the premiership of George Grenville. In 1762, in search of evidence of sedition, he authorised a raid on the home of John Entick, declared unlawful in the case of Entick v. Carrington.
In 1763, he signed the general warrant for the "authors, printers and publishers" of The North Briton number 45, under which John Wilkes and 48 others were arrested, and for which, six years later, the courts of law made Halifax pay damages. He was also mainly responsible for the exclusion of the name of the King's mother, Augusta, Princess of Wales, from the Regency Bill of 1765.
Together with his colleagues, Lord Halifax left office in July 1765, returning to the Cabinet as Lord Privy Seal under his nephew, Lord North, in January 1770. He had just been restored to his former position of Secretary of State when he died.
Styles of address
- 1716-1739: Viscount Sunbury
- 1739-1748: The Right Honourable The Earl of Halifax
- 1748-1764: The Right Honourable The Earl of Halifax PC
- 1764-1771: The Right Honourable The Earl of Halifax KG PC
Legacy
Halifax, who was Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire and a Lieutenant-General in the Army, was very extravagant. He left no children, and his titles became extinct on his death. Lord Orford speaks slightingly of Halifax, and says he and his mistress, Mary Anne Faulkner,[3] had sold every employment in his gift.
There is an obelisk at Chicksands Wood, near Haynes, Bedfordshire, with an inscription to his memory.
The municipality of Halifax and Halifax County, Nova Scotia are named in his honour, as are the Halifax River in Central Florida; the town of Halifax and Halifax County, North Carolina; Halifax, Virginia in the United States; and Dunk Island in Queensland.
Halifax served as a political patron of the playwright and civil servant Richard Cumberland.
References
- ↑ http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/deportation/exhibit.asp?ID=7&Language=French
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lord Lucan and others at Hampton Court House
External links
- Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by | Master of the Buckhounds 1744–1746 |
Succeeded by Ralph Jenison |
Preceded by | First Lord of Trade 1748–1761 |
Succeeded by The Lord Sandys |
Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1761–1763 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Northumberland |
Preceded by | First Lord of the Admiralty 1762 |
Succeeded by George Grenville |
Preceded by | Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1762–1763 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Sandwich |
Preceded by | Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1763–1765 |
Succeeded by Henry Seymour Conway |
Preceded by | Lord Privy Seal 1770–1771 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire |
Preceded by | Northern Secretary 1771 |
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Legal offices | ||
Preceded by | Justice in Eyre south of the Trent 1746–1748 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Leeds |
Honorary titles | ||
Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire 1749–1771 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Northampton |
Peerage of Great Britain | ||
Preceded by | Earl of Halifax 1739–1771 |
Extinct |
- Use dmy dates from April 2012
- Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with no article parameter
- 1716 births
- 1771 deaths
- British Secretaries of State
- Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain
- Knights of the Garter
- Lord-Lieutenants of Northamptonshire
- Lords of the Admiralty
- Lords Privy Seal
- Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain
- Montagu family
- Pre-Confederation Nova Scotia people