George Canning
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1827 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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George Canning FRS (11 April 1770 – 8 August 1827) was a British Tory statesman. He held various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, including two important terms as Foreign Secretary, finally becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the last 119 days of his life, from April to August 1827.
George Canning | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Thomas Lawrence, c. 1822 | |
| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
| In office 12 April 1827 – 8 August 1827 | |
| Monarch | George IV |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Liverpool |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Goderich |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
| In office 20 April 1827 – 8 August 1827 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | F. J. Robinson |
| Succeeded by | John Charles Herries |
| Foreign Secretary | |
| In office 16 September 1822 – 30 April 1827 | |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Liverpool; Himself |
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Londonderry |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Dudley and Ward |
| In office 25 March 1807 – 11 October 1809 | |
| Prime Minister | The Duke of Portland |
| Preceded by | Viscount Howick |
| Succeeded by | The Earl Bathurst |
| Leader of the House of Commons | |
| In office 16 September 1822 – 20 April 1827 | |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Liverpool; Himself |
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Londonderry |
| Succeeded by | William Huskisson |
| President of the Board of Control | |
| In office 20 June 1816 – 16 January 1821 | |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Liverpool |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Buckinghamshire |
| Succeeded by | Charles Bathurst |
| British Ambassador to Portugal | |
| In office October 1814 – June 1815 | |
| Appointed by | The Prince Regent |
| Preceded by | Sir Charles Stuart |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Sydenham |
| Treasurer of the Navy | |
| In office 14 May 1804 – 23 January 1806 | |
| Prime Minister | William Pitt the Younger |
| Preceded by | George Tierney |
| Succeeded by | Richard Brinsley Sheridan |
| Paymaster of the Forces | |
| In office 5 July 1800 – 26 March 1801 | |
| Prime Minister | William Pitt the Younger |
| Preceded by | Dudley Ryder |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Glenbervie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1770-04-11)11 April 1770 Marylebone, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 8 August 1827(1827-08-08) (aged 57) Chiswick, Middlesex, England |
| Resting place | Westminster Abbey |
| Political party | Tory |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 (including Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning) |
| Parents | |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Signature |  |
The son of an actress and a failed businessman and lawyer, Canning was supported financially by his uncle, Stratford Canning, which allowed him to attend Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. Canning entered politics in 1793 and rose rapidly. He was Paymaster of the Forces (1800–1801) and Treasurer of the Navy (1804–1806) under William Pitt the Younger. Canning was Foreign Secretary (1807–1809) under the Duke of Portland. Canning was the dominant figure in the cabinet and directed the Battle of Copenhagen, the seizure of the Danish fleet in 1807 to assure Britain's naval supremacy over Napoleon. In 1809, he was wounded in a duel with his rival Lord Castlereagh and was shortly thereafter passed over as a successor to the Duke of Portland in favour of Spencer Perceval. He rejected overtures to serve as Foreign Secretary again because of Castlereagh's presence in Perceval's Cabinet and he remained out of high office until after Perceval was assassinated in 1812.
Canning served under the new Prime Minister the Earl of Liverpool as British Ambassador to Portugal (1814–1816), President of the Board of Control (1816–1821) and Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons (1822–1827). King George IV disliked Canning and there were efforts to frustrate his foreign policies. Canning gained much public support for his policies. The historian Paul Hayes argues that he achieved several diplomatic coups in relations with Spain and Portugal, by helping to guarantee the independence of the American colonies of Portugal and Spain. His policies ensured a major trading advantage for British merchants and supported the American Monroe Doctrine. The historian G. M. Trevelyan wrote
For five years England had been guided by the genius of Canning, and seldom have so much brilliancy and so much wisdom combined to produce such happy results. The constitutional medium through which that genius worked was the loyal friendship of the prime minister, Lord Liverpool.[1]
When Lord Liverpool resigned in April 1827, Canning was chosen to succeed him as Prime Minister, ahead of the Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel. Both of them declined to serve under Canning and the Tories split between Peel and Wellington's Ultra-Tories and the Canningites. Canning then invited several Whigs to join his cabinet. His health collapsed, and he died of pneumonia at Chiswick House on 8 August 1827, whilst still in office. His tenure of 119 days in office made him the shortest-serving prime minister in history, a title he held for 195 years until Liz Truss' premiership in 2022, which lasted 49 days.