Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington
Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington (* around 1674 in Compton Wynyates, Warwickshire, † July 2, 1743 in London) was a British statesman and Prime Minister of the Whig party.
Biography
Compton was the third son of James Spencer Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton. He was educated at St Paul 's School and Trinity College, Oxford and was then admitted to the Middle Temple.
From 1715 until his death he served continuously in government. He wore several titles: Sir Spencer Compton (1722-1728), The Lord Wilmington (1728-1730), and finally The Earl of Wilmington ( after 1730 ). From 1742 until his death in 1743 he was the nominal head of the government. In truth, however, he was only the figurehead for the real Prime Minister John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, the Secretary of State for the northern areas.
Career
On 3 June 1698, he drew for the first time to the House of Commons as a representative of Eye ( Suffolk ). Although his family were strict followers of the Tories, he turned to after a dispute with his brother George the Whigs. In Parliament he soon became a prominent Member of Parliament. He formed a partnership with Robert Walpole, which should hold more than forty years.
In 1707 he was Paymaster of Pensions. A post he retained for the next six years, although he left the Parliament in 1710, as a Tory government came to power. It is believed that the Tories beließen him in office because they wanted to retain the support of the Compton family. 1713 Compton pulled back into parliament, this time for East Grinstead. When the Whigs came to power again in 1715, he was hoping for a high office, but he was disappointed. He was treasurer of the Prince of Wales ( later King George II ). Shortly thereafter, he was unanimously elected Speaker of the House. He held this post from 1715 to 1727. He retained this role in spite of the cleavage of the Whigs in 1717, where he joined the Walpole - Townshend Alliance joined and there was suddenly in opposition to the government at that time. He succeeded in his position until 1720, when the division was overcome, keep them.
Compton was known as lax Speaker of the House. When once a deputy complained about it, that he would be interrupted, Compton said to him: "You have the right to speak, sir, but the house has the right to decide whether it wants to listen to you. "
As Walpole in 1721 the leading minister, there was speculation about his future, if King George I should die and his son King would. The heir to the throne was more inclined to Compton as Walpole and declared that he would replace Walpole by Compton. To avoid this, Walpole tried to keep Compton on the edge of the government, even though that was from 1722 to 1730 Paymaster General. 1730 Compton joined the government as Lord Privy Seal in and was appointed Knight of the Bath. 1727 George II ascended the throne and tried to bring about the change of power, which he had promised. However, the Queen Caroline convinced her husband that Walpole, who had just brought a generous alimony for the king, was the better government.
To get rid of Compton from the House of Commons, Walpole had him in 1728 as Baron Wilmington raise to the peerage. Two years later he was made Earl of Wilmington and Viscount Pevensey and appointed Lord President of the Council. He approached more and more those Whigs, which Walpole were critical, but in parliament he stayed on the line of official government policy.
Following the resignation of Walpole 1742 Wilmington eventually took over the business of government. His health had deteriorated and he had to but now find that many appointments were made without consulting him. He remained until his death in office in 1743. His successor was Henry Pelham, the Paymaster of the Forces. Wilmington died without legitimate offspring, so all his titles expired with his death. But he had several illegitimate children. His fortune inherited by his nephew James Compton.
In the U.S., the cities of Wilmington (North Carolina) and Wilmington (Delaware) were named after him.