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| The Right Honourable Sir James Graham, Bt GCB, PC |
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| In office 6 September 1841 – 30 June 1846 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | Sir Robert Peel, Bt |
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Normanby |
| Succeeded by | Sir George Grey, Bt |
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| In office 22 November 1830 – 7 June 1834 |
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| Monarch | William IV |
| Prime Minister | The Earl Grey |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Melville |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Auckland |
| In office 30 December 1852 – 13 March 1855 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Aberdeen The Viscount Palmerston |
| Preceded by | The Duke of Northumberland |
| Succeeded by | Sir Charles Wood, Bt |
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| Born | 1 June 1792 Naworth, Cumberland |
| Died | 25 October 1861 Netherby, Cumberland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Whig Tory |
| Spouse(s) | Frances Callander (d. 1857) |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Sir James Robert George Graham, 2nd Baronet GCB PC (1 June 1792 – 25 October 1861) was a British statesman. He notably held office as Home Secretary from 1841 to 1846 in Sir Robert Peel's last government. Graham Land in Antarctica is named after him.
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Background and education
Graham was born at Naworth, Cumberland, the son of Sir James Graham, 1st Baronet, by his wife Lady Catherine, daughter of John Stewart, 7th Earl of Galloway. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford.
Whig years, 1818-1837
In 1818 he was elected to parliament as a Whig member for Hull, but he lost his seat in 1820.[1] In 1824 he succeeded to the baronetcy; and in 1826 he re-entered parliament as representative for Carlisle,[2] a seat which he soon exchanged for the county of Cumberland.[3] In the same year he published a pamphlet entitled Corn and Currency, which brought him into prominence as a man of advanced Liberal opinions; and he became one of the most energetic advocates in parliament of the Reform Bill. On the formation of Earl Grey's administration he was sworn of the Privy Council[4] and appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, with a seat in the cabinet. From 1832 to 1837 he sat for the eastern division of the county of Cumberland.[3] He resigned over the Irish Church question in 1834, becoming a prominent member of the Derby Dilly and eventually joined the Conservatives in 1837.
Tory years, 1837-1861
Rejected by his former constituents in 1837, he was in 1838 elected for Pembroke,[5] and in 1841 for Dorchester.[6] In the latter year he took office under Sir Robert Peel as Home Secretary,[7] a post he retained until 1846. As home secretary he incurred considerable odium in Scotland, by his unconciliating policy on the church question prior to the disruption of 1843; and in 1844 the detention and opening of letters at the post-office by his warrant raised a storm of public indignation, which was hardly allayed by the favourable report of a parliamentary committee of investigation. When the party broke up over the Corn Laws he followed Peel. He was returned for Ripon, a seat he held until 1852,[8] and then again represented Carlisle between 1852 and 1859.[2] From 1846 to 1852 he was out of office; but in the latter year he joined Lord Aberdeen's cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty, in which capacity he acted also for a short time in the Palmerston ministry of 1855. The appointment of a select committee of inquiry into the conduct of the Crimean War ultimately led to his withdrawal from official life.
He remained a leading figure in the Peelite faction in the House of Commons, and played an instrumental role in bringing the Peelites into the Palmerston-Russell government of 1859, and can thus be seen as one of the fathers of the modern Liberal Party, although he himself refused to take a position in the government.
Family
Graham married Frances ("Fanny") Callander, of Craigforth and Ardkinglas, a famous society beauty, on 8 July 1819. She died in October 1857. Graham died at Netherby, Cumberland, on the 25 October 1861, aged 69, and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son, Frederick.
References
- ^ leighrayment.com House of Commons: Horncastle to Hythe
- ^ a b leighrayment.com House of Commons: Camelford to Carmarthen
- ^ a b leighrayment.com House of Commons: Cornwall to Cynon Valley
- ^ London Gazette: no. 18748, p. 2449, 23 November 1830.
- ^ leighrayment.com House of Commons: Paddington to Platting
- ^ leighrayment.com House of Commons: Devizes to Dorset West
- ^ London Gazette: no. 20014, p. 2221, 3 September 1841.
- ^ leighrayment.com House of Commons: Radcliffe-cum-Farnworth to Rochdale
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir James Graham
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