George Grenville

George Grenville (14 October 1712 – 13 November 1770) was a British Whig statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain, during the early reign of the young King George III. He served for only two years (1763–1765), and attempted to solve the problem of the massive debt resulting from the Seven Years' War. He instituted a series of measures to increase revenue to the crown, including new taxes and enforcement of collection, and sought to bring the North American colonies under tighter crown control.

Born into an influential political family, Grenville first entered Parliament in 1741 as an MP for Buckingham. He emerged as one of the Cobhamites, a group of young members of Parliament associated with Lord Cobham. In 1754, Grenville became Treasurer of the Navy, a position he held twice until 1761. In October 1761 he chose to stay in government and accepted the new role of Leader of the Commons causing a rift with his brother-in-law and political ally William Pitt who had resigned. Grenville was subsequently made Northern Secretary and First Lord of the Admiralty by the new prime minister Lord Bute. On 8 April 1763, Lord Bute resigned, and Grenville assumed his position as prime minister.

His government tried to bring public spending under control and pursued an assertive policy over the North American colonies and colonial settlers. His best-known policy is the Stamp Act, a long-standing tax in Great Britain which Grenville extended to the colonies in America, but which instigated widespread opposition in Britain's American colonies and was later repealed. Grenville had increasingly strained relations with his colleagues and the King. In 1765, he was dismissed by George III and replaced by Lord Rockingham. For the last five years of his life, Grenville led a group of his supporters in opposition and staged a public reconciliation with Pitt.

Grenville married Elizabeth Wyndham, the granddaughter of Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, the great-great-grandson of Lady Katherine Grey, who was herself a great-granddaughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, and sister of Lady Jane Grey.