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George Grenville
GeorgeGrenville
Historical Figure
Nationality: United Kingdom
Year of Birth: 1712
Year of Death: 1770
Cause of Death: Natural causes
Religion: Anglicanism
Occupation: Politician
Spouse: Elizabeth Wyndham
Children: Seven, some predeceased him
Relatives: William Pitt (brother-in-law)
Political Party: Whig Party
Political Office(s): Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Fictional Appearances:
The Two Georges
POD: c. 1763
Type of Appearance: Posthumous reference
Date of Death: Unrevealed


George Grenville (14 October 1712 – 13 November 1770), was a British Whig statesman who served in government for the relatively short period of seven years. In that time he held several offices, eventually reaching the position of Prime Minister of Great Britain (1763-1765), held concurrently with the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer.

His most famous policy as PM was the Stamp Act, one of several British policies that ultimately prompted the American Revolution. During his ministry, he so thoroughly alienated his colleagues that King George III actively sought grounds to dismiss Grenville, finally doing so in 1765 once Lord Rockingham agreed to succeed Grenville.

George Grenville in The Two Georges[]

George Grenville was remembered by later generations as a man who almost, but did not, gain the prime ministry. Nonetheless, in his own day, he was considered important enough to be included in the painting, The Two Georges.[1]

Literary comment[]

Grenville's failure to become Prime Minister in 1763 is the earliest stated Point of Divergence in the novel, although it is unclear whether it relates directly to the relevant POD.

References[]

Political offices
(OTL)
Preceded by
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
Prime Minister of Great Britain
16 April 1763 – 13 July 1765
Succeeded by
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
Preceded by
Francis Dashwood, 15th Baron le Despencer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
1763 – 1765
Succeeded by
William Dowdeswell
Preceded by
George Chamberlayne
Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple
Member of Parliament for Buckingham
1741-1770
Succeeded by
Henry Grenville
James Grenville, 1st Baron Glastonbury
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