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George Grenville (October 14, 1712—November
13, 1770) was a Kingdom of Great Britain|British
Whig statesman who served in government for the
relatively short period of nine years (reaching
the position of Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom|Prime Minister of Great Britain); Robert
Walpole|Sir Robert Walpole served as Prime
Minister alone for twenty-one years, for example.
Additionally, he was only the second prime
minister (the third, William Pitt the Younger,
entered office in 1783) that never acceded to the
peerage.

Grenville was the second son of Richard Grenville
and Hester Temple, afterwards Earl Temple|Countess
Temple, his elder brother being Richard
Grenville-Temple, 1st Earl Temple.  George
received his education at Eton College and at
Christ Church College, Oxford, and was called to
the bar in 1735. He entered Parliament of the
United Kingdom|Parliament in 1741 as member for
Buckingham, and continued to represent that
borough till his death.

In parliament he subscribed to the "Boy Patriot"
party which opposed Sir Robert Walpole. In
December 1744 he became a lord of the
Admiralty|admiralty in the administration of Henry
Pelham. He allied himself with his brother Richard
and with William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William
Pitt the Elder (Richard's brother-in-law) in
forcing their leader to give them promotion by
rebelling against his authority and obstructing
business. In June 1747 Grenville became a Lord of
the Treasury|lord of the treasury, and in 1754
Treasurer of the Navy|treasurer of the navy and
Privy Council|privy councillor.

As treasurer of the navy in 1758 he introduced and
carried a bill which established a fairer system
of paying the wages of seamen. He remained in
office in 1761, when his brother William Pitt the
Elder (by then created Earl of Chatham) resigned
upon the question of the war with Spain, and in
the administration of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of
Bute|Lord Bute functioned as Leader of the House
of Commons. In May 1762 he was appointed Secretary
of State for the Northern Department, and in
October First Lord of the Admiralty; and in April
1763 he became First Lord of the Treasury|first
lord of the treasury and Chancellor of the
Exchequer|chancellor of the exchequer. 

Prominent measures of his administration included
the prosecution of John Wilkes and the passing of
the American Stamp Act 1765, which led to the
first symptoms of alienation between 13
colonies|American colonies and Great Britain.
During the latter period of his term of office he
was on a very unsatisfactory footing with the
young king George III of the United Kingdom|George
III, who gradually came to feel a kind of horror
of the interminable persistency of his
conversation, and whom he endeavoured to make use
of as the mere puppet of the ministry. The king
made various attempts to induce Pitt to come to
his rescue by forming a ministry, but without
success, and at last had recourse to the Charles
Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of
Rockingham|Marquess of Rockingham. When Rockingham
agreed to accept office, the king dismissed
Grenville (July 1765). He never again held office.

The nickname of "gentle shepherd" was given him
because he bored the House by asking over and over
again, during the debate on the Cider Bill of
1763, that somebody should tell him "where" to lay
the new tax if it was not to be put on cider. Pitt
whistled the air of the popular tune Gentle
Shepherd, tell me where, and the House laughed.
Though few excelled him in a knowledge of the
forms of the House or in mastery of administrative
details, he lacked tact in dealing with people and
with affairs.

In 1749 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir
William Wyndham, by whom he had a large family.
His son, George Grenville, 1st Marquess of
Buckingham|George Grenville, 2nd Earl Temple, was
created Marquess of Buckingham, and his grandson
was Richard
Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke
of Buckingham and Chandos. Another son was William
Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville|William, afterwards
Baron Grenville|Lord Grenville. Another son was
Thomas Grenville, the MP and book-collector.

The Grenville Papers, being the Correspondence of
Richard Grenville, Earl Temple, K.G., and the
Right Hon. George Grenville, their Friends and
Contemporaries, were published at London in 1852,
and afford the chief authority for his life. But
see also Horace Walpole's Memoirs of the Reign of
George II (London, 1845); Lord Stanhope's History
of England (London, 1858); Lecky's History of
England (1885); and ED Adams, The Influence of
Grenville on Pitt's Foreign Policy (Washington,
1904).

start box
succession box | title=Treasurer of the Navy |
before=Henry Legge | after=George Dodington, 1st
Baron Melcombe|George Dodington | years=1756
succession box | title=Treasurer of the Navy |
before=George Dodington, 1st Baron Melcombe|George
Dodington | after=William Barrington, 2nd Viscount
Barrington|The Viscount Barrington |
years=1756–1762
succession box | title=Leader of the House of
Commons | before=William Pitt, 1st Earl of
Chatham|William Pitt the Elder | after=Henry
Seymour Conway | years=1761–1765
succession box | title=Secretary of State for the
Northern Department | before=John Stuart, 3rd Earl
of Bute|The Earl of Bute | after=George
Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax|The Earl of
Halifax | years=1762
succession box | title=Admiralty|First Lord of the
Admiralty | before=George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl
of Halifax|The Earl of Halifax | after=John
Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich|The Earl of Sandwich
| years=1762–1763
succession box | title=Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom|Prime Minister | before=John
Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute|The Earl of Bute |
after=Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of
Rockingham|The Marquess of Rockingham |
years=1763–1765
succession box | title=Chancellor of the Exchequer
| before=Francis Dashwood, 15th Baron le
Despencer|Sir Francis Dashwood | after=William
Dowdeswell | years=1763–1765
end box

1911

	Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

George Grenville (October 14, 1712—November
13, 1770) was a Kingdom of Great Britain|British
Whig statesman who served in government for the
relatively short period of nine years (reaching
the position of Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom|Prime Minister of Great Britain); Robert
Walpole|Sir Robert Walpole served as Prime
Minister alone for twenty-one years, for example.
Additionally, he was only the second prime
minister (the third, William Pitt the Younger,
entered office in 1783) that never acceded to the
peerage.

Grenville was the second son of Richard Grenville
and Hester Temple, afterwards Earl Temple|Countess
Temple, his elder brother being Richard
Grenville-Temple, 1st Earl Temple.  George
received his education at Eton College and at
Christ Church College, Oxford, and was called to
the bar in 1735. He entered Parliament of the
United Kingdom|Parliament in 1741 as member for
Buckingham, and continued to represent that
borough till his death.

In parliament he subscribed to the "Boy Patriot"
party which opposed Sir Robert Walpole. In
December 1744 he became a lord of the
Admiralty|admiralty in the administration of Henry
Pelham. He allied himself with his brother Richard
and with William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William
Pitt the Elder (Richard's brother-in-law) in
forcing their leader to give them promotion by
rebelling against his authority and obstructing
business. In June 1747 Grenville became a Lord of
the Treasury|lord of the treasury, and in 1754
Treasurer of the Navy|treasurer of the navy and
Privy Council|privy councillor.

As treasurer of the navy in 1758 he introduced and
carried a bill which established a fairer system
of paying the wages of seamen. He remained in
office in 1761, when his brother William Pitt the
Elder (by then created Earl of Chatham) resigned
upon the question of the war with Spain, and in
the administration of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of
Bute|Lord Bute functioned as Leader of the House
of Commons. In May 1762 he was appointed Secretary
of State for the Northern Department, and in
October First Lord of the Admiralty; and in April
1763 he became First Lord of the Treasury|first
lord of the treasury and Chancellor of the
Exchequer|chancellor of the exchequer. 

Prominent measures of his administration included
the prosecution of John Wilkes and the passing of
the American Stamp Act 1765, which led to the
first symptoms of alienation between 13
colonies|American colonies and Great Britain.
During the latter period of his term of office he
was on a very unsatisfactory footing with the
young king George III of the United Kingdom|George
III, who gradually came to feel a kind of horror
of the interminable persistency of his
conversation, and whom he endeavoured to make use
of as the mere puppet of the ministry. The king
made various attempts to induce Pitt to come to
his rescue by forming a ministry, but without
success, and at last had recourse to the Charles
Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of
Rockingham|Marquess of Rockingham. When Rockingham
agreed to accept office, the king dismissed
Grenville (July 1765). He never again held office.

The nickname of "gentle shepherd" was given him
because he bored the House by asking over and over
again, during the debate on the Cider Bill of
1763, that somebody should tell him "where" to lay
the new tax if it was not to be put on cider. Pitt
whistled the air of the popular tune Gentle
Shepherd, tell me where, and the House laughed.
Though few excelled him in a knowledge of the
forms of the House or in mastery of administrative
details, he lacked tact in dealing with people and
with affairs.

In 1749 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir
William Wyndham, by whom he had a large family.
His son, George Grenville, 1st Marquess of
Buckingham|George Grenville, 2nd Earl Temple, was
created Marquess of Buckingham, and his grandson
was Richard
Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke
of Buckingham and Chandos. Another son was William
Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville|William, afterwards
Baron Grenville|Lord Grenville. Another son was
Thomas Grenville, the MP and book-collector.

The Grenville Papers, being the Correspondence of
Richard Grenville, Earl Temple, K.G., and the
Right Hon. George Grenville, their Friends and
Contemporaries, were published at London in 1852,
and afford the chief authority for his life. But
see also Horace Walpole's Memoirs of the Reign of
George II (London, 1845); Lord Stanhope's History
of England (London, 1858); Lecky's History of
England (1885); and ED Adams, The Influence of
Grenville on Pitt's Foreign Policy (Washington,
1904).

start box
succession box | title=Treasurer of the Navy |
before=Henry Legge | after=George Dodington, 1st
Baron Melcombe|George Dodington | years=1756
succession box | title=Treasurer of the Navy |
before=George Dodington, 1st Baron Melcombe|George
Dodington | after=William Barrington, 2nd Viscount
Barrington|The Viscount Barrington |
years=1756–1762
succession box | title=Leader of the House of
Commons | before=William Pitt, 1st Earl of
Chatham|William Pitt the Elder | after=Henry
Seymour Conway | years=1761–1765
succession box | title=Secretary of State for the
Northern Department | before=John Stuart, 3rd Earl
of Bute|The Earl of Bute | after=George
Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax|The Earl of
Halifax | years=1762
succession box | title=Admiralty|First Lord of the
Admiralty | before=George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl
of Halifax|The Earl of Halifax | after=John
Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich|The Earl of Sandwich
| years=1762–1763
succession box | title=Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom|Prime Minister | before=John
Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute|The Earl of Bute |
after=Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of
Rockingham|The Marquess of Rockingham |
years=1763–1765
succession box | title=Chancellor of the Exchequer
| before=Francis Dashwood, 15th Baron le
Despencer|Sir Francis Dashwood | after=William
Dowdeswell | years=1763–1765
end box

1911