George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer

George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer KG, PC, FRS, FSA ( born September 1, 1758 in Wimbledon, † November 10, 1834 at Althorp, Northamptonshire ) was a British nobleman and Whig politician.

Life

George John was the only son of five children of the politician John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer ( 1734-1783 ) and his wife, Lady Margaret Georgiana Poyntz ( 1737-1814 ), a daughter of Hon Stephen Poyntz and Anna Maria Mordaunt. His sisters were Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, and Henrietta Frances Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough. He was baptized on 16 October 1758 in Wimbledon; acted as godfathers of British King George II, William Clavering - Cowper, 2nd Earl Cowper (the second husband of his grandmother, Lady Georgiana Caroline Carteret ), his paternal aunt Elizabeth Spencer, Duchess of Marlborough, and his great-aunt, the Dowager Viscountess Bateman.

It first went to school in Harrow, Spencer studied at Trinity College, University of Cambridge philosophy and politics; where he graduated in 1778 with a Master of Arts (Latin Magister Artium ). Between 1780-1782 he was elected as a deputy ( Whig ) for the district of Northamptonshire, and from 1782 to 1783 as a deputy for the district of Surrey in the House of Commons. After the death of his father he inherited the title of Earl Spencer and moved to the House of Lords. From the year 1783, he also High Steward of St. Albans was; seven years later he became mayor of the city. In 1793, Spencer received his doctorate at the University of Oxford with a doctorate in civil law ( Doctorate of Civil Law ).

In the cabinet Pitt Spencer was from 1794 to 1801 First Lord of the Admiralty, in the following Government of all the talents Home Secretary.

George John Spencer was in the literary world as a great collector and patron. Throughout his life he acquired an extensive collection of books (about 40,000 volumes ), which was supplemented not only by book purchases but also through numerous donations of his contemporaries. The library on the family estate Althorp was considered one of the finest private libraries in Europe. The Spencer library was offered for sale in 1892 and purchased by Enriqueta Augustina Rylands for the John Rylands Library, which passed in 1972 to the University of Manchester.

On March 6, 1781 George John Spencer married in Mayfair, London, Lady Lavinia Bingham ( 1762-1831 ), a daughter of Charles Bingham, 1st Earl of Lucan, and Margaret Smith. From the joint connecting nine children were born:

  • John Charles (1782-1845), 3rd Earl Spencer ∞ 1814 Esther Acklom ( 1788-1818 )
  • Sarah (1787-1870) ∞ 1813 William Henry Lyttelton, 3rd Baron Lyttelton ( 1782-1837 )
  • Richard (1789-1791)
  • Robert (1791-1830), Captain of the Royal Navy and Commander in Madagascar
  • William ( * / † 1792)
  • Harriet (* / † 1793)
  • Georgiana Charlotte (1794-1823) ∞ 1814 Lord George Quin ( 1792-1888 )
  • Frederick (1798-1857), 4th Earl Spencer, Vice - Admiral of the Royal Navy
  • George (1799-1864), later Father Ignatius Spencer

George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer died at the age of 76 years and was on November 19, 1834 in the cemetery of Great Brington, in addition to his wife, buried.

Offices and Awards

Worth mentioning

  • The Spencer Gulf on the south coast of Australia in 1802 by its discoverer, Matthew Flinders ( 1774-1814 ), named in honor of the 2nd Earl Spencer.
  • The Spencer Jacket is a snug, short jacket and was between 1790 to 1820 as a Regency style in fashion. As namesake applies the Earl Spencer.
Thomas Gainsborough Society of Antiquaries of London Wimbledon (London) Whigs (British political party) Henrietta Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough Harrow School Academic degree Earl Spencer (peerage) Ministry of All the Talents Collecting Joshua Reynolds Sarah Lyttelton, Baroness Lyttelton Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer Lord Privy Seal Spencer (clothing) Integrated Authority File
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