Grenville, George (1712-1770), served as prime minister of Great Britain (now also called the United Kingdom) from April 1763 to July 1765. He introduced the Stamp Act in 1765. The act imposed a tax on British colonists in North America. The colonists opposed this measure bitterly, and it became one of the causes of the American Revolution (1775-1783).
George Grenville was born on Oct. 14, 1712, in London. He was one of seven children born to Richard Grenville, a member of Parliament, and Hester Temple, 1st Countess Temple. Young George was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. With the help of his mother’s powerful family, Grenville entered Parliament in 1741. He married Elizabeth Wyndham in 1749 and had four sons and five daughters. Grenville became friendly with the famous British statesman William Pitt, who married Grenville’s sister.
After holding several Cabinet posts, Grenville became prime minister in 1763. He was not popular with King George III, who dismissed him in 1765. Grenville’s son William served as prime minister in 1806 and 1807. George Grenville died on Nov. 13, 1770, in London.
See also Grenville, William ; Pitt, William ; Stamp Act .
