Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville

Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, was born on 11 May 1815 in London and died on 31 March 1891. He was a British Liberal statesman and diplomat belonging to the Leveson-Gower family. Prior to inheriting the earldom in 1846, he was styled Lord Leveson.

He was the eldest son of Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville, and Lady Harriet Cavendish. His maternal lineage included Lady Georgiana Spencer and William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire. His paternal grandfather was Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford. His family holdings and titles merged in the Dukes of Sutherland through marriage and inheritance.

Leveson-Gower received education at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. Early in his career, he spent time in Paris under his father’s guidance. He was elected as a Whig Member of Parliament for Morpeth in 1836. From 1840 to 1841, he served as Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs under Lord Melbourne’s government. After his father’s death in 1846, he succeeded to the earldom and represented Lichfield in the House of Lords.

In the House of Lords, he was known as a supporter of Free Trade. When Lord John Russell formed a government in 1846, he was appointed Master of the Buckhounds. In 1848, he became Vice-President of the Board of Trade and played a role in promoting the Great Exhibition of 1851.

He was a member of the Cabinet and briefly served as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from late 1851 to early 1852, succeeding Lord Palmerston. In 1852, he was appointed first Lord President of the Council, and in 1854, he became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He held the office of President of the Council at various times, including during Lord Palmerston’s tenure.

In addition to his political roles, Granville was a long-serving academic administrator, being the chancellor of the University of London from 1856 for thirty-five years, advocating for women’s admission and modern language education.

He served in the Staffordshire Yeomanry, becoming a major in 1848 and later a lieutenant-colonel in 1854. He was an honorary colonel of the 1st Cinque Ports Artillery Volunteers after 1866.

In industry, he owned coal and ironstone mines in Stoke-on-Trent and was the principal shareholder of Shelton Iron & Steel Co. The company operated multiple blast and puddling furnaces by 1873. He also held shares in the Lilleshall Company.

During the American Civil War, Granville and the majority of Palmerston’s cabinet adopted a non-interventionist stance, influenced by his memorandum against intervention in September 1862. His diplomatic career includes serving as Colonial Secretary briefly in 1868 and as Foreign Secretary from 27 June 1870 to 1874 and again from 1880 to 1885. His tenure as Foreign Secretary is noted for improving Anglo-American relations and supporting arbitration to settle disputes such as the Pacific Northwest boundary and fisheries issues.

He was involved in the negotiations surrounding the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and issues related to Russia’s expansion into Central Asia, known as "The Great Game." His handling of foreign policy met with varying success, and he eventually retired from public office in July 1886.

His family life included his marriage in 1840 to Lady Acton (Marie Louise Pelline de Dalberg), with whom he had children before her death in 1860. His subsequent marriage to Castilia Rosalind Campbell yielded additional children. Notable descendants include various members of the British aristocracy and peers, such as Lady Victoria Alberta Leveson-Gower and Granville Leveson-Gower, 3rd Earl Granville.