George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough

George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, KG, PC, FRS (26 January 1739 – 29 January 1817), styled Marquess of Blandford until 1758, was a British courtier, nobleman, and politician from the Spencer family. He served as Lord Chamberlain between 1762 and 1763 and as Lord Privy Seal between 1763 and 1765. He is the great-great-great grandfather of Sir Winston Churchill.

The Duke of Marlborough
Lord Privy Seal
In office
1763–1765
MonarchGeorge III
Prime MinisterGeorge Grenville
Preceded byThe Duke of Bedford
Succeeded byThe Duke of Newcastle
Lord Chamberlain
In office
1762–1763
MonarchGeorge III
Prime MinisterThe Earl of Bute
Preceded byThe Duke of Devonshire
Succeeded byThe Earl Gower
Personal details
Born(1739-01-26)26 January 1739
Died29 January 1817(1817-01-29) (aged 78)
Blenheim Palace,
Woodstock, Oxfordshire
United Kingdom
Nationality United Kingdom
SpouseLady Caroline Russell
Children
Parents
Military service
Allegiance Great Britain (1755–1801)
 United Kingdom (1801–1817)
Branch/service British Army
Years of service1755–1760
RankCaptain
UnitColdstream Guards (1755)
20th Regiment of Foot (1756–1760)

Background and education

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Styled by the courtesy title Marquess of Blandford from birth, he was the eldest son of Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, and the Honourable Elizabeth Trevor, daughter of Thomas Trevor, 2nd Baron Trevor. His siblings were Charles, Diana and Elizabeth.

Personal traits and characteristics

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According to George III, who mentioned it to Fanny Burney,[1] the Duke suffered from severe red-green colourblindness. As he was unable to tell scarlet from green, Fanny, therefore, remarked that this was unlucky for someone in possession of so sumptuous a home as Blenheim Palace.

Career

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Marlborough entered the Coldstream Guards in 1755 as an Ensign, becoming a Captain with the 20th Regiment of Foot the following year. After inheriting the dukedom in 1758, Marlborough took his seat in the House of Lords in 1760, becoming Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire in that same year.[2] The following year, he bore the sceptre with the cross at the coronation of George III.[citation needed] In 1762, he was made Lord Chamberlain as well as a Privy Counsellor, and after a year, resigned from this appointment to become Lord Privy Seal, a post he held until 1765.[2] An amateur astronomer, he built a private observatory at his residence, Blenheim Palace. He kept up a lively scientific correspondence with Hans Count von Brühl, another non-academic astronomer.[citation needed]

 
4th Duke of Marlborough, Duchess of Marlborough and their family by Sir Joshua Reynolds, c.1777-78

The Duke was made a Knight of the Garter in 1768, and was elected to the Royal Society in 1786.[2]

Family

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Marlborough married Lady Caroline Russell (1743–1811), daughter of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, in 1762, by whom he had eight children:

The Duchess of Marlborough died at Blenheim Palace in November 1811, aged 68. The Duke of Marlborough died at Blenheim Palace in January 1817, aged 78, and was buried there.[2]

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References

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  1. ^ Burney, F. The Diary of Fanny Burney, Dent (Everyman edition), London, 1971, pages 107-8
  2. ^ a b c d thepeerage.com George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough
  • Lee, Sidney, ed. (1898). "Spencer, George (1739-1817)" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 53. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  • The Collected Correspondence of Baron Franz von Zach, Volume 3 (British Letters), 2008. Edited by Clifford J. Cunningham. Star Lab Press.
Honorary titles
Vacant
Title last held by
The Duke of Marlborough
Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
1760–1817
Succeeded by
Preceded by Senior Privy Counsellor
1807–1817
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Lord Chamberlain
1762–1763
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Privy Seal
1763–1765
Succeeded by
Peerage of England
Preceded by Duke of Marlborough
1758–1817
Succeeded by
Baron Spencer of Wormleighton
(descended by acceleration)

1758–1806