James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave

James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, was born on 4 March 1715 and died on 13 April 1763. He was a British nobleman and politician. His tenure as First Lord of the Treasury was brief, occurring in June 1757, and is considered one of the shortest in British history. His most notable contribution to history is his memoirs, published posthumously in 1821, which are regarded as significant in the development of Whig historiography.

Waldegrave served as a governor to The Prince of Wales, the future King George III, and Prince Edward from 1752 to 1756. He was a member of the Privy Council beginning in 1752. Prior to his political career, he was educated at Westminster School and Eton College. Inherited titles from his father in 1741, he was the eldest son of James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave, and Mary Webb. His paternal grandparents were Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave, and Henrietta FitzJames, an illegitimate daughter of King James II of England and Arabella Churchill.

From 1743 to 1752, Waldegrave held the position of Gentleman of the Bedchamber. After the resignation of the Duke of Newcastle as Prime Minister in November 1756 and the dismissal of William Pitt in April 1757, King George II invited Waldegrave to assume the role of First Lord of the Treasury, succeeding the Duke of Devonshire. Waldegrave attempted to form a government from 8 to 12 June 1757 but was unable to do so, leading to his resignation. Subsequently, the Duke of Devonshire remained Prime Minister for nearly two more weeks, and the Duke of Newcastle regained the position a week later. Waldegrave was appointed a Knight of the Garter on 30 June 1757.

He retired from public life in 1760 following the accession of George III. On 15 May 1759, Waldegrave married Maria Walpole, the illegitimate daughter of Sir Edward Walpole, at Sir Edward's residence in Pall Mall. Their marriage was solemnized by Frederick Keppel, who later became Bishop of Exeter, with Sir Edward Walpole and his brother Horace Walpole as witnesses.

The couple had three daughters: Lady Elizabeth Laura Waldegrave (1760–1816), who married her cousin, the 4th Earl Waldegrave; Lady Charlotte Maria Waldegrave (1761–1808), who married George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton; and Lady Anne Horatia Waldegrave (1762–1801), who married Lord Hugh Seymour. Lady Anne is noted to have possibly been secretly engaged to Robert Bertie, 4th Duke of Ancaster, prior to her marriage.

James Waldegrave died of smallpox on 13 April 1763. His titles were inherited by his sons, and through his daughter Lady Anne, he was an ancestor of Charles Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer, who was the great-grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales. His modern descendants include William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.

References include entries from the Dictionary of National Biography and related external links.