Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham PC (30 November 173820 July 1786) was a British statesman. He notably served as Foreign Secretary between 1782 and 1783.

Background and education

Grantham was born in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria, the son of Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham, British Ambassador to Austria at the time, by his wife Frances, daughter of Thomas Worsley. He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and at

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. The c ...

Political career

Grantham entered parliament as member for

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

in 1761, and succeeded to the peerage, because of his father's death, in 1770. That year he was appointed to the Privy Council. In 1771 he was sent as

British Ambassador to Spain The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Spain is the United Kingdom's foremost Diplomat, diplomatic representative in the Kingdom of Spain, and in charge of the UK's diplomatic mission in Spain. The official title is His Britannic Majesty's Am ...

and retained this post until war broke out between

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and Spain in 1779. In 1772, while at the Summer Spanish Court in

Aranjuez Aranjuez () is a city and municipality of Spain, part of the Community of Madrid. Located in the southern end of the region, the main urban nucleus lies on the left bank of the Tagus, a bit upstream of the discharge of the Jarama. , the munici ...

, he received correspondence from Richard Wall, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs. From 1780 to 1782 Grantham was

President of the Board of Trade The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. A committee of the His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, it was first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th centur ...

, and from July 1782 to April 1783 Foreign Secretary under

Lord Shelburne William Petty Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (2 May 17377 May 1805), known as the Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Anglo-Irish Whig statesman who was the first home secr ...

Marriage and progeny

In 1780 Lord Grantham married Lady Mary Jemima Yorke (1757–1830), younger daughter of

Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (9 March 1720 – 16 May 1790), styled Viscount Royston between 1754 and 1764, was a British politician and writer. Life The eldest ...

by his wife Lady Jemima Campbell (1723–1797), ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' 2nd Marchioness Grey, a daughter of

John Campbell, 3rd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland John Campbell, 3rd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland Order of the Bath, KB (10 March 1696 – 26 January 1782), styled Lord Glenorchy from 1716 until 1752, was a British politician and diplomat who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain from ...

by his wife Lady Amabel Grey, a daughter of

Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent, Order of the Garter, KG, Privy Council of England, PC (16715 June 1740) was a British politician and courtier. None of his sons outlived him, so his new title became extinct on his death. Though the house he buil ...

(1671–1740). In 1740 Lord Grantham's mother-in-law Lady Jemima Campbell (1723–1797) succeeded as 2nd Marchioness Grey by a

special remainder In property law of the United Kingdom and the United States and other common law countries, a remainder is a future interest given to a person (who is referred to as the transferee or remainderman) that is capable of becoming possessory upon the ...

upon the death of her maternal grandfather Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent, 1st Marquess Grey, 3rd Baron Lucas. As she had no male heirs, the title later became extinct upon her own death in 1797, but in 1816 her elder daughter Lady Amabel Yorke (1750–1833) (wife of Alexander Hume-Campbell, Lord Polwarth) was created Countess de Grey in her own right. Lord Grantham and his wife lived at Grantham House in Whitehall Yard, Westminster. By his wife had two sons: *

Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey Thomas Philip de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey, 3rd Baron Grantham, 6th Baron Lucas (born Robinson, later Weddell; 8 December 178114 November 1859), styled as The Hon. Thomas Robinson until 1786 and as Lord Grantham from 1786 to 1833, of Wrest Park in ...

, eldest son and heir. He was born as Thomas Philip Robinson, his surname was Weddell from 1803 and de Grey from 1833. * Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, 1st Earl of Ripon (1782–1859),

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 ...

in 1827 and 1828.

Death

He died on 20 July 1786, aged only 46, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son,

. His widow continued to live at Grantham House until her own death in January 1830, aged 72 years.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grantham, Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron 1738 births 1786 deaths Politicians from Vienna Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Barons in the Peerage of Great Britain British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs Diplomatic peers Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Robinson, Thomas People educated at Westminster School, London Ambassadors of Great Britain to Spain

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...