George Canning

Uncommon card · No. 143530

George Canning (11 April 1770 – 8 August 1827) was a British statesman and Tory politician. He became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 12 April 1827, but his premiership was cut short by his death 119 days later on 8 August 1827. Canning also figured prominently in the cabinets of Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, and William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, serving two terms as Foreign Secretary. The son of an actress and of a failed businessman and lawyer, Canning was supported financially by his uncle, Stratford Canning, which allowed him to attend Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. Canning entered politics in 1793 and rose rapidly. He was Paymaster of the Forces (1800–1801) and Treasurer of the Navy (1804–1806) under William Pitt the Younger. Canning was foreign secretary (1807–1809) under the Duke of Portland. Canning was the dominant figure in the cabinet and directed the Battle of Copenhagen, the seizure of the Danish fleet in 1807 to assure Britain's...

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