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George Canning (April 11, 1770 - August 8, 1827) was a British politician who served as Foreign Secretary and, briefly, Prime Minister. Early lifeCanning was born in London. His father was a gentleman of limited means who had renounced his right to inherit the family estate in exchange for having his debts paid. His father died when Canning was one year old and his mother took work as a stage actress, a profession not considered respectable at the time.Because Canning showed unusual intelligence and promise at an early age, family friends persuaded his wealthy uncle, Stratford Canning, to become his nephew's guardian and provide him with an income and an education. Stratford Canning's financial support allowed the young Canning to study at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. While at school, Canning achieved renown for his skill at writing and debate. He struck up friendships with Lord Liverpool, Granville Leveson-Gower, and John Hookham Frere. After receiving his BA from Oxford in the summer of 1791, Canning became a lawyer. He wanted to become a politician. Entry into Politics
When Canning decided to enter politics, then, he sought and received the patronage of the leader of the Crown party, William Pitt the Younger. In 1793, thanks to the help of Pitt, Canning became a Member of Parliament for Newtown on the Isle of Wight, a rotten borough. In 1796, he changed seats to a different rotten borough, Wendover in Buckinghamshire. Political styleCanning rose quickly in British politics, mainly because of his effectiveness as an orator and writer. His speeches in Parliament and his essays gave the Pittites a rhetorical power they had previously lacked. Canning's skills saw him gain leverage within the Pittite faction that allowed him to influence its policies and to get himself promoted within the Cabinet. Over time, Canning became a prominent public speaker as well as a parliamentary speaker, and was one of the first politicians to campaign heavily in the country.As a result of his charisma and promise, Canning early on drew to himself a circle of supporters who would become known as the Canningites. Conversely though, Canning had a reputation as a divisive man who alienated many others. Elevation to officeOn November 2, 1795, Canning received his first ministerial post: Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. In this post he proved a strong supporter of Pitt, often taking his side in disputes with the Foreign Secretary Lord Grenville. He resigned this post on 1 April 1799.In 1799 Canning became a commissioner of the Board of Control, followed by Paymaster of the Forces in 1800. When Pitt resigned in 1801, Canning loyally followed him into opposition and again returned to office in 1804 with Pitt becoming Treasurer of the Navy. Canning left office with the death of Pitt but was appointed Foreign Secretary in the new government of the Duke of Portland the following year. Given key responsibilities for the country's diplomacy in the Napoleonic Wars, he was responsible for planning the outmanoeuvring of Napoleon Bonaparte at Copenhagen. Duel with CastlereaghIn 1809 Canning entered into a series of disputes within the government that were to become famous. He argued with the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, Lord Castlereagh, over the deployment of troops that Canning had promised would be sent to Portugal, but which Castlereagh sent to Holland. The government became increasingly paralysed in disputes between the two men. Portland was in deteriorating health and gave no lead, until Canning threatened resignation unless Castlereagh was removed and replaced by Lord Wellesley. Portland secretly agreed to make this change when it would be possible.Castlereagh discovered the deal in September, 1809, and was furious, demanding redress. He challenged Canning to a duel, which was fought on September 21, 1809. Canning had never before fired a pistol. In the duel Canning missed; Castlereagh wounded his opponent in the thigh. There was much outrage that two cabinet ministers had resorted to such a method. Shortly afterwards Portland resigned as Prime Minister because of ill health and Canning offered himself to George III as a potential successor. However, Spencer Perceval was appointed instead and Canning left office once more. He did take consolation that Castlereagh also stood down. Return to governmentUpon Perceval's assassination in 1812, the new Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool offered Canning the position of Foreign Secretary once more. However Canning refused as he also wished to be Leader of the House of Commons and was reluctant to serve in any government with Castlereagh. In 1814 he became the British Ambassador to Portugal, returning the following year. He received several further offers of office from Liverpool and in 1816 he became President of the Board of Control.Canning resigned from office once more in 1820, on this occasion in opposition to the treatment of Queen Caroline, wife of the new King George IV who had become estranged from her husband. Canning and Caroline were personal friends and are believed to have had a brief affair. Another returnIn 1822, Castlereagh, now Marquess of Londonderry, committed suicide. Canning succeeded him as both Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons. In his second term of office he sought to prevent South America from coming into the French sphere of influence and in this he was successful. He also gave support to the growing campaign for the abolition of slavery.Prime Minister
However Canning's health by this time was in steep decline. On August 8 1827 he died in the very room as Fox had, 21 years earlier. Canning holds the dubious record of having served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the total shortest period - a mere 119 days. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. [1] LegacyCanning has come to be regarded as a "lost leader", with much speculation about what would have happened had he lived. His government of moderate Tories and Whigs continued for a few months under Lord Goderich but fell apart in early 1828. It was succeeded by a government under the Duke of Wellington, which initially included some Canningites but soon became mostly "High Tory" when many of the Canningites drifting over to the Whigs. Wellington's administration would soon go down in defeat as well. Some historians have seen the revival of the Tories from the 1830s onwards, in the form of the Conservative Party as the overcoming of the divisions of 1827. What would have been the course of events had Canning lived is highly speculative.To some later Conservatives, most prominently Benjamin Disraeli, Canning came to be regarded as the forerunner of liberal One Nation Conservatism, providing a contrast to Sir Robert Peel, whom Disraeli attacked bitterly. FamilyCanning married Joan Scott (later 1st Viscountess Canning) (1776-1837) on July 8, 1800, with John Hookham Frere and William Pitt the Younger as witnesses.George and Joan Canning had four children: *George Charles Canning (1801-1820), died from consumption *William Pitt Canning (1802-1828), died from drowning in Madeira, Portugal *Harriet Canning (1804-1876), married the 1st Marquess of Clanricarde *Charles Canning (later 2nd Viscount Canning and 1st Earl Canning) (1812-1862) TriviaCanning was one of the first prominent politicians of the era to openly use the label "Tory", which came into use in the 1790s as a term for the Pittites. Later, in 1824, he was one of the first to use the term "Conservative".In honour of the role he played in the Greek War of Independence, Canning's name was given to one of the central squares in downtown Athens (Πλατεία Κάνιγγος). A subway station in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Line D was originally named after Canning. The station was renamed in 1973 by the administration of populist Argentine President Juan Perón in honor of the famed Argentine writer Scalabrini Ortiz. Canning is the namesake of the Oxford Canning Club. The George Canning is a Bar/Brasserie on Grove Lane, SE5 in Denmark Hill in South East London. He also gives his name to the area Canning and Canning Dock in Liverpool. A number of places in Western Australia are named after Canning, due to his government facilitating the expedition of Admiral James Stirling to establish the Swan River colony. These places include a tributary of the Swan River, the Canning River, the Perth suburbs of Cannington and Canning Vale, as well as the Local Government area of Perth the City of Canning. George Canning's Government, April 1827 - August 1827*George Canning - First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons*Lord Lyndhurst - Lord Chancellor *Lord Harrowby - Lord President of the Council *The Duke of Portland - Lord Privy Seal *William Sturges Bourne - Secretary of State for the Home Department *Lord Dudley - Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs *Lord Goderich - Secretary of State for War and the Colonies and Leader of the House of Lords *William Huskisson - President of the Board of Trade and Treasurer of the Navy *Charles Williams-Wynn - President of the Board of Control *Lord Bexley - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster *Lord Palmerston - Secretary at War *Lord Lansdowne - Minister without Portfolio Changes *May, 1827 - Lord Carlisle, the First Commissioner of Woods and Forests, enters the Cabinet. *July, 1827 - The Duke of Portland becomes a minister without portfolio. Lord Carlisle succeeds him as Lord Privy Seal. W.S. Bourne succeeds Carlisle as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests. Lord Lansdowne succeeds Bourne as Home Secretary. George Tierney, the Master of the Mint, enters the cabinet. References* Dixon, Peter. George Canning: Politician and Statesman. New York : Mason/Charter, 1976.
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