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3rd duke of Grafton, Augustus Henry Fitzroy
(1735—1811) prime minister
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(1735–1811).
Prime minister. Grafton became secretary of state in the first Rockingham administration, but resigned in April 1766 after the failure to negotiate Pitt's entry into the ministry. Grafton returned to office in July, when Pitt (now earl of Chatham) succeeded Rockingham as prime minister. Although Grafton became 1st lord of the Treasury, Chatham headed the ministry as lord privy seal. This unusual arrangement did not achieve its object of preserving Chatham's precarious health. Grafton gradually emerged as de facto prime minister during 1767 and officially led the ministry after Chatham finally resigned in October 1768. The Grafton ministry was plagued with serious problems, such as the Wilkes case and the Townshend duties crisis; Grafton himself was ridiculed in the press by Junius. Unable to withstand the pressure, Grafton resigned in January 1770. He never returned to the front rank of politics, but served as lord privy seal in 1771–5 and 1782–3.
Subjects: History — Regional and National History
