James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury, (born James Brownlow William Cecil, 17 April 1791 – 12 April 1868), styled Viscount Cranborne from birth until 1823, was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician. He held office under the Earl of Derby as

Lord Privy Seal The Lord Privy Seal (or, more formally, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal) is the fifth of the Great Officers of State (United Kingdom), Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and abov ...

in 1852 and

Lord President of the Council The Lord President of the Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State, ranking below the Lord High Treasurer but above the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. The Lor ...

between 1858 and 1859. He was the father of

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for ...

, three times

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

, and grandfather of

Arthur Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (; 25 July 184819 March 1930) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As Foreign Secretary ...

, who also served as Prime Minister.

Background

Salisbury was the son of James Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury, and Lady Emily Mary Hill, daughter of

Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire, (30 May 1718 – 7 October 1793), known as the 2nd Viscount Hillsborough from 1742 to 1751 and as the 1st Earl of Hillsborough from 1751 to 1789, was a British politician of the Georgian era. Best known ...

.thepeerage.com Sir James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury
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Political career

Salisbury entered the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in 1813 as Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, a seat he held until 1817, and then sat for

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a Ford (crossing), ford on ...

between 1817 and 1823. In the latter year, he succeeded his father in the marquessate and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. He served in the Lord Derby's first two cabinets as

in 1852 and as

between 1858 and 1859. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1826 and made a Knight of the Garter in 1842. Apart from his political career he also served as titular

Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex. From 1794 to 1965, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Middlesex. The office was abolished on 1 April 1965, with the creation of Greater London and the post of Lor ...

between 1841 and 1868, and followed his father as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the Hertfordshire Militia. During a period of unrest in 1830 he raised the South Hertfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry and commanded it with the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel the following year when the regiment was expanded. In 1847, however, he exchanged with his second-in-command, James Grimston, 2nd Earl of Verulam, and reverted to the rank of major.

Family

Lord Salisbury was married twice. His first marriage was on 2 February 1821 to Frances Mary Gascoyne (born 25 January 1802, died 15 October 1839), daughter of Bamber Gascoyne of Childwall Hall,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, and his wife Sarah Bridget Frances Price. A biography of her by Carola Oman appeared in 1966. Upon marrying Frances, he added her surname to his own; subsequent Marquesses of Salisbury have therefore all borne the surname Gascoyne-Cecil.''The Gascoyne Heiress: The Life and Diaries of Frances Mary Gascoyne-Cecil, 1802-39'' (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1968). Retrieved 7 August 2012. The couple had six children, including: *James Emilius William Evelyn Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne (29 October 1821 – 14 June 1865), died unmarried. *Lady Mildred Arabella Charlotte Gascoyne-Cecil (21 October 1822 – 18 March 1881), married Alexander Beresford Hope and had children. *Lord Arthur Gascoyne-Cecil (19 December 1823 – 25 April 1825), died in infancy. *Lady Blanche Mary Harriet (5 March 1825 – 16 May 1872), married

James Maitland Balfour James Maitland Balfour (5 January 1820 – 23 February 1856) was a Scotland, Scottish land-owner and businessman. He made a fortune in the 19th-century railway boom, and inherited a significant portion of his father's great wealth. He was a Cons ...

; mother of Prime Minister

. * Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (3 February 1830 – 22 August 1903),

three times between 1885 and 1902, married Georgina Alderson and had children. * Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Eustace Brownlow Henry Gascoyne-Cecil (24 April 1834 – 3 July 1921), married Lady Gertrude Louisa Scott and had children. Lord Salisbury's second marriage, on 29 April 1847, was to Lady Mary Catherine Sackville-West, daughter of George Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr, and Elizabeth Sackville-West, Countess De La Warr, with whom he had five children: *Lord Sackville Arthur Cecil (16 March 1848 – 29 January 1898), died unmarried. * Lady Mary Arabella Arthur Cecil (26 April 1850 – 18 August 1903), married Alan Stewart, 10th Earl of Galloway. *Lady Margaret Elizabeth Cecil (1850 – 11 March 1919), died unmarried. *Lord Arthur Cecil (3 July 1851– 16 July 1913), married Elizabeth Ann Wilson and had children; married secondly, in 1902, Frederica von Klenck, daughter of diplomat Baron Otto von Klenck, of Gmunden, and his British-born wife née Stewart. * Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Lionel Cecil (21 March 1853 – 13 January 1901), died unmarried. Lord Salisbury died in April 1868, aged 76, and was succeeded as marquess by his third, eldest surviving son, Robert. The Marchioness of Salisbury died in December 1900.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Salisbury, James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of 1791 births 1868 deaths James Cranborne, James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Knights of the Garter Lord-lieutenants of Middlesex Salisbury2 Hertfordshire Yeomanry officers Lord Presidents of the Council Lords Privy Seal Cranborne, James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne, James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne, James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne, James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Salisbury, M2 James, Salisbury 2 Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Parents of prime ministers of the United Kingdom