George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax

The Right Honourable The Earl of Halifax KG PC
The 2nd Earl of Halifax by Joshua Reynolds (1764)

Lord Privy Seal
In office 1770–1771
Monarch	George III
Prime Minister	Frederick North, Lord North
Preceded by	The Earl of Bristol
Succeeded by	The Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
In office 1761–1763
Monarch	George III
Preceded by	The Duke of Bedford
Succeeded by	The Earl of Northumberland
President of the Board of Trade
In office 1748–1761
Monarch	George II
Preceded by	The Lord Monson
Succeeded by	The Lord Sandys
Personal details
Born	6 October 1716 (1716-10-06)
Died	8 June 1771(1771-06-08) (aged 54)
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

The Earl of Halifax and his secretaries

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.

Halifax was buried in the church of St Mary Magdalene in Horton, Northamptonshire. There is a bust and memorial to him in the north transept of Westminster Abbey.

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 and Montague Island in New South Wales.

Halifax served as a political patron of the playwright and civil servant Richard Cumberland.

Obelisk to 2nd Earl of Halifax, Chicksands Wood
Inscription on obelisk to 2nd Earl of Halifax

Footnotes

↑ http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/deportation/exhibit.asp?ID=7&Language=French
↑ "Sunbury, George (Lord) (SNBY733G)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
↑ Lord Lucan and others at Hampton Court House

Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "^{article name needed}". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links

Media related to George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices
Preceded by Ralph Jenison	Master of the Buckhounds 1744–1746	Succeeded by Ralph Jenison
Preceded by The Lord Monson	First Lord of Trade 1748–1761	Succeeded by The Lord Sandys
Preceded by The Duke of Bedford	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1761–1763	Succeeded by The Earl of Northumberland
Preceded by The Lord Anson	First Lord of the Admiralty 1762	Succeeded by George Grenville
Preceded by George Grenville	Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1762–1763	Succeeded by The Earl of Sandwich
Preceded by The Earl of Egremont	Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1763–1765	Succeeded by Henry Seymour Conway
Preceded by The Earl of Egremont	Leader of the House of Lords 1763–1765	Succeeded by The Marquess of Rockingham
Preceded by The Earl of Bristol	Lord Privy Seal 1770–1771	Succeeded by The Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire
Preceded by The Earl of Sandwich	Northern Secretary 1771	Succeeded by The Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire
Legal offices
Preceded by The Earl of Jersey	Justice in Eyre south of the Trent 1746–1748	Succeeded by The Duke of Leeds
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Duke of Montagu	Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire 1749–1771	Succeeded by The Earl of Northampton
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by George Montagu	Earl of Halifax 1739–1771	Extinct

Cabinet of Prime Minister Lord North (1770–1782)

Prime Minister Chancellor of the Exchequer	Lord North (1770–1782)

Lord Chancellor	Commission (1770–1771) The Earl Bathurst (1771–1778) Lord Thurlow (1778–1782)

Lord President of the Council	The Earl Gower (1770–1779) The Earl Bathurst (1779–1782)

Lord Privy Seal	The Earl of Halifax (1770–1771) The Earl Suffolk (1771) The Duke of Grafton (1771–1775) The Earl of Dartmouth (1775–1782)

Lord Steward	The Earl Talbot (1770–1782)

Lord Chamberlain	The Earl of Hertford (1770–1782)

Southern Secretary	The Viscount Weymouth (1770) The Earl of Rochford (1770–1775) The Viscount Weymouth (1775–1779) The Earl of Hillsborough (1779–1782)

Northern Secretary	The Earl of Rochford (1770) The Earl of Sandwich (1770–1771) The Earl of Halifax (1771) The Earl of Suffolk (1771–1779) The Viscount Weymouth (1779) The Viscount Stormont (1779–1782)

Colonial Secretary	The Earl of Hillsborough (1770–1772) The Earl of Dartmouth (1772–1775) The Lord George Germain (1775–1782)

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	Lord Strange (1770–1771) The Earl of Clarendon (1771–1782)

First Lord of the Admiralty	Sir Edward Hawke (1770–1771) The Earl of Sandwich (1778–1782)

Master-General of the Ordnance	Vacant (1770–1772) The Viscount Townshend (1772–1782)

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland	The Viscount Townshend (1770–1772) The Earl Harcourt (1772–1777) The Earl of Buckinghamshire (1777–1780) The Earl of Carlisle (1780–1782)

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 72857647 LCCN: n85388200 BNF: cb16955239c (data)

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.