Sir George Granville Leveson-Gower KBE (19 May 1858 – 18 July 1951), was a British civil servant and Liberal politician from the Leveson-Gower family. He held political office as Comptroller of the Household between 1892 and 1895 and later served as a Commissioner of Woods and Forests from 1908 to 1924. In 1921 he was knighted.

George Leveson-Gower
"My dear George". Caricature of Edward Leveson-Gower by Spy published in Vanity Fair in 1886.
Comptroller of the Household
In office
25 August 1892 – 21 June 1895
MonarchVictoria
Prime MinisterWilliam Ewart Gladstone
The Earl of Rosebery
Preceded byLord Arthur Hill
Succeeded byLord Arthur Hill
Personal details
Born(1858-05-19)19 May 1858
Died18 July 1951 (1951-07-19) (aged 93)
NationalityBritish
Political partyLiberal
SpouseHon. Adelaide Monson (d. 1955)
Alma materBalliol College, Oxford

Background and education

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A member of the Leveson-Gower family headed by the Duke of Sutherland, Leveson-Gower was the son of the Honourable Frederick Leveson-Gower, third son of Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville. His mother was Lady Margaret Compton, daughter of Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton. She died shortly after his birth and his father never remarried. He was educated at Eton[1] and Balliol College, Oxford.

Career

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Leveson-Gower was private secretary to Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone from 1880 to 1885. He then entered Parliament for Staffordshire North-West,[2] and served under Gladstone as a Junior Lord of the Treasury from February[3] to July 1886. He lost his seat in the 1886 general election[2] but returned to the House of Commons when he was elected for Stoke-upon-Trent in an 1890 by-election, a seat he held until 1895.[4] He was Comptroller of the Household from 1892[5] to 1895[6] under Gladstone and later Lord Rosebery. Leveson-Gower later served as chairman of the Home Counties Liberal Federation from 1905 to 1908[1] and as a Commissioner of Woods and Forests from 1908 to 1924. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in January 1921.[7]

Family

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Adelaide Violet Cicely Leveson-Gower and daughter Iris in 1902

Leveson-Gower married the Honourable Adelaide Violet Cicely Monson, daughter of Debonnaire John Monson, 8th Baron Monson, in 1898. They had three daughters. He died in London on 18 July 1951, aged 93.[8] Lady Leveson-Gower died in April 1955.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Brief biography at economia.unipv.it". Archived from the original on 23 March 2008. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  2. ^ a b Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 4)
  3. ^ "No. 25559". The London Gazette. 16 February 1886. p. 743.
  4. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 5)
  5. ^ "No. 26320". The London Gazette. 26 August 1892. p. 4889.
  6. ^ "No. 26643". The London Gazette. 12 July 1895. p. 3945.
  7. ^ "No. 32188". The London Gazette. 11 January 1921. p. 277.
  8. ^ "G. Leveson Gower, Aide to Gladstone". The New York Times. London (published 19 July 1951). 18 July 1951. p. 23. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency Member of Parliament for Staffordshire North-West
18851886
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Stoke-upon-Trent
1890–1895
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Comptroller of the Household
1892–1895
Succeeded by
Church of England titles
Preceded by Second Church Estates Commissioner
1892–1895
Succeeded by