Lord Granville

A carte-de-visite portrait of George Leveson-Gower [pronounced ‘Lew-son Gore’], 5th Earl Granville.

Gladstone’s closest political confidant, and foreign secretary, Granville was Whig MP for Morpeth and Lichfield (1836-1846) until he succeeded to the peerage. After minor posts under Lord John Russell, including responsibility for the promotion of the Great Exhibition (1851), he succeeded Lord Palmerston briefly as Foreign Secretary (1851). He served Lord Aberdeen’s coalition as President of the Council (1854-5) and chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster (1854-5), then took office under Palmerston, again as President of the Council (1855-65). He led the Liberal party in the House of Lords for over thirty years (1855-91), with one short break (1865-68).

Although he lacked Gladstone’s moral driving force and intellectual power, Granville brought to the leadership of the Liberals great natural gifts of personality as a negotiator and intermediary between the Queen and Gladstone, Gladstone and the Whig aristocracy. From the trust between the two very dissimilar men sprang the harmony, such as it was, of the first two Liberal governments.

Photographed by the London Stereoscopic and Photographic Company.