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General The Right Honourable
The Earl of Harrington
PC
General The Right Honourable The Earl of Harrington PC
	William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington (Godfrey Kneller, 1646–1723)
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
	In office; 19 June 1730 – 12 February 1742
Monarch	George II
Prime Minister	Robert Walpole
Preceded by	Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend
Succeeded by	John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville
	In office; 24 November 1744 – January 1746
Monarch	George II
Prime Minister	Henry Pelham
Preceded by	John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville
Succeeded by	John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
	In office; 15 November 1746 – 15 December 1750
Monarch	George II
Preceded by	The Earl of Chesterfield
Succeeded by	The Duke of Dorset
Lord President of the Council
	In office; 13 February 1742 – 3 January 1745
Monarch	George II
Prime Minister	The Earl of Wilmington ; Henry Pelham
Preceded by	The Earl of Wilmington
Succeeded by	The Duke of Dorset
Personal details
Born	William Stanhope; c. 1683; Elvaston, Derbyshire
Died	8 December 1756 (aged 72–73); London, England
Nationality	British
Spouse	Anne Griffith
Parent(s)	John Stanhope; Dorothy Agard
Residence	Elvaston Castle

William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington (c. 1683 – 8 December 1756), was a British statesman and diplomat.

Life

William Stanhope was born in 1683 at the family home in Elvaston, Derbyshire, third surviving son of John Stanhope and Dorothy Agard. His elder brother Charles Stanhope (1673–1760) was also a politician and deeply involved in the South Sea Company financial scandal, while his cousin James Stanhope (1673–1721) is considered an alternative candidate to Robert Walpole for the title of Britain's first Prime Minister.^[1]

He married Anne Griffiths, who died in 1719 giving birth to twin sons, William, 2nd Earl of Harrington (1719–1779), and Thomas (1719–1743).

Career

Educated at Eton College, Stanhope was commissioned in 1703 as a lieutenant in the 2nd Foot Guards during the War of the Spanish Succession, before transferring to the 3rd Foot Guards in Spain. By 1710, he was a lieutenant-colonel and missed the December 1710 Battle of Brihuega, when the British rearguard under his cousin James Stanhope was cut off and forced to surrender. In March 1711, he became Colonel of the former Lepells Regiment, which was disbanded in November 1712 as the army was cut back in the run-up to the 1713 Peace of Utrecht.^[2]

Stanhope was serving as a diplomat in Spain when the War of the Quadruple Alliance began in 1719 and joined the French army under the Duke of Berwick as a volunteer.^[3] He accompanied Berwick's army during its successful Siege of San Sebastian. When the war ended in 1720, Stanhope was appointed British ambassador to Spain and given the Colonelcy of the 13th Light Dragoons, later 13th Hussars; he retained this position until the Anglo-Spanish War began in March 1727, having built up his reputation as a diplomatist during a difficult period.^[4]

As a reward for his part in negotiating the 1729 Treaty of Seville that ended the war, he was created Baron Harrington in January 1730. Later the same year, he replaced Lord Townshend as Secretary of State for the Northern Department under Robert Walpole. Despite policy differences over British involvement in the 1734–1735 war, he kept his position until Walpole's fall in 1742, when he became Lord President of the Council and created Earl of Harrington and Viscount Petersham.^[4]

With the support of his political ally the Duke of Newcastle, he was restored as Secretary of State in 1744 but resigned in February 1746 over his preference for an immediate end to the 1740–1748 War of the Austrian Succession. He was made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1747 to 1751^[4] and while his active military career finished in 1720, he received a number of promotions, ending a full General in 1747.^[5] He died in London on 8 December 1756.

References

^ Pearce, William (2007). The Great Man: Sir Robert Walpole: Scoundrel, Genius and Britain's First Prime Minister. Jonathan Cape. p. 1. ISBN 978-0224071819.
^ Adjutant General's Office (1842). Historical Records of the British Army; History of the 13th Light Dragoons. John W Parker. p. 84.
^ Adjutant General's Office, p. 84.
^ ^a ^b ^c One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Harrington, Earls of". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 18.
^ Woodfine, Philip (2004). "Stanhope, William, first earl of Harrington". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26257. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

Sources

Adjutant General's Office (1842). Historical Records of the British Army; History of the 13th Light Dragoons. John W Parker.
Pearce, William (2007). The Great Man: Sir Robert Walpole: Scoundrel, Genius and Britain's First Prime Minister. Jonathan Cape. ISBN 978-0224071819.
Woodfine, Philip (2004). "Stanhope, William, first earl of Harrington". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26257. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Edward Mundy Nathaniel Curzon	Member of Parliament for Derby 1715–1722 With: Lord James Cavendish	Succeeded by Lord James Cavendish Thomas Bayley
Preceded by John Gumley Marquess of Carnarvon	Member of Parliament for Steyning 1727 With: John Gumley	Succeeded by The Viscount Vane Thomas Bladen
Preceded by Lord James Cavendish Thomas Bayley	Member of Parliament for Derby 1727–1730 With: Lord James Cavendish	Succeeded by Lord James Cavendish Charles Stanhope
Military offices
Preceded by Sir Robert Rich	Colonel of Harrington's Regiment of Dragoons 1725–1730	Succeeded by Henry Hawley
Diplomatic posts
Vacant War of the Quadruple Alliance Title last held by John Chetwynd	British Ambassador to Spain 1721–1727	Succeeded by Benjamin Keene
Political offices
Preceded by Thomas Coke	Vice-Chamberlain of the Household 1727–1730	Succeeded by Lord Hervey
Preceded by The Duke of Devonshire	Northern Secretary 1730–1742	Succeeded by The Lord Carteret
Preceded by The Earl of Wilmington	Lord President of the Council 1742–1745	Succeeded by The Duke of Dorset
Preceded by The Lord Carteret	Northern Secretary 1744–1746	Succeeded by The Earl of Chesterfield
Preceded by The Earl of Chesterfield	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1746–1751	Succeeded by The Duke of Dorset
Peerage of Great Britain
New creation	Earl of Harrington 1742–1756	Succeeded by William Stanhope
New creation	Baron Harrington 1730–1756	Succeeded by William Stanhope