Newcastle, Duke of (1693-1768), served as prime minister of Britain from 1754 to 1756 and from 1757 to 1762. His premiership was interrupted by his brief resignation after early defeats during the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763). However, eventual victory in the war greatly extended the British Empire in North America and in India. Newcastle succeeded his younger brother, Henry Pelham, as prime minister. In 1756 and 1757, the Duke of Devonshire served as prime minister.
Newcastle was born Thomas Pelham on July 21, 1693, in London. He was the eighth of 11 children born to Thomas Pelham, 1st Baron Pelham of Laughton. Young Thomas was educated at Westminster School and Clare Hall, Cambridge. In 1711, when he succeeded to the estate of his uncle John Holles, he changed his name to Pelham-Holles. In 1712, he succeeded his father as Baron Pelham. In 1714, Pelham-Holles entered the House of Lords, where he supported the Act of Settlement, which established the Hanoverians on the British throne. Shortly afterward, Pelham-Holles became Duke of Newcastle. In 1717, he married Lady Henrietta Godolphin, the daughter of Henrietta Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough. They had no children. Pelham-Holles served as secretary of state for 30 years before becoming prime minister. Pelham-Holles resigned his premiership in 1762 and later served as Lord Privy Seal. He died on Nov. 17, 1768, in London.
