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James Gascoyne Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury

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Monarch
  
Victoria

Monarch
  
Victoria

Prime Minister
  
The Earl of Derby

Prime Minister
  
The Earl of Derby

Preceded by
  
The Earl of Minto

Name
  
James 2nd

Succeeded by
  
The Duke of Argyll


James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury

James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury, (17 April 1791 – 12 April 1868), styled Viscount Cranborne until 1823, was a British Conservative politician. He held office under the Earl of Derby as Lord Privy Seal in 1852 and Lord President of the Council between 1858 and 1859. He was the father of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Contents

Background

Salisbury was the son of James Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury, and Lady Emily Mary Hill, daughter of Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire.

Political career

Salisbury entered the House of Commons in 1813 as Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, a seat he held until 1817, and then sat for Hertford between 1817 and 1823. In the latter year he succeeded his father in the marquessate and entered the House of Lords. He served in the Earl of Derby's first two cabinets as Lord Privy Seal in 1852 and as Lord President of the Council between 1858 and 1859. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1826 and made a Knight of the Garter in 1842.

Apart from his political career he also served as Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex between 1841 and 1868.

Family

Lord Salisbury was married twice. His first marriage was on 2 February 1821 to Frances Mary Gascoyne (c. 1806 – 15 October 1839), daughter of Bamber Gascoyne of Childwall Hall, Lancashire, and his wife Sarah Bridget Frances Price. A biography of her by Carola Oman appeared in 1966. The couple had six children, including the following:

  • James Emilius William Evelyn Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne (29 October 1821 – 14 June 1865), died unmarried
  • Lady Mildred Arabella Charlotte Gascoyne-Cecil (21 October 1822 – 18 March 1881), married Alexander Beresford Hope
  • Lord Arthur Gascoyne-Cecil (19 December 1823 – 25 April 1825)
  • Lady Blanche Mary Harriet (5 March 1825 – 16 May 1872), married James Maitland Balfour, mother of Prime Minister Arthur Balfour
  • Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (3 February 1830 – 22 August 1903), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times between 1885 and 1902
  • Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Eustace Brownlow Henry Gascoyne-Cecil (24 April 1834 – 3 July 1921)

    • Lord Salisbury's second marriage, on 29 April 1847, was to Lady Mary Catherine Sackville-West, daughter of George Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr and Elizabeth Sackville-West, Countess De La Warr, with whom he had five children:

  • Lord Sackville Arthur Cecil (16 March 1848 – 29 January 1898)
  • Lady Mary Arabella Arthur Cecil (26 April 1850 – 18 August 1903), married Alan Stewart, 10th Earl of Galloway
  • Lady Margaret Elizabeth Cecil (1850 – 11 March 1919)
  • Lord Arthur Cecil (3 July 1851 – 16 July 1913)
  • Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Lionel Cecil (21 March 1853 – 13 January 1901)

    • Lord Salisbury died in April 1868, aged 76, and was succeeded in the marquessate by his third but eldest surviving son, Robert. The Marchioness of Salisbury died in December 1900.

    Styles of address

  • 1791–1813: Viscount Cranborne
  • 1813–23: Viscount Cranborne MP
  • 1823–26: The Most Honourable The Marquess of Salisbury
  • 1826–42: The Most Honourable The Marquess of Salisbury PC
  • 1842–68: The Most Honourable The Marquess of Salisbury KG PC

    • References

    James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA