James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave
James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave was born on March 4, 1715. See ranking, bio blurb, and everyone else born that day.
About James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave
James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, (4 March 1715 – 13 April 1763) was a British politician who is sometimes regarded as one of the shortest-serving prime ministers in British history. His brief tenure as First Lord of the Treasury is lent a more lasting significance by his memoirs, which are regarded as significant in the development of Whig history. Waldegrave served as a governor to The Prince of Wales (the future George III) and Prince Edward from 1752 to 1756. After the resignation of the Duke of Newcastle as prime minister and the dismissal from office of the influential minister William Pitt, George II invited Waldegrave to take over the position of the First Lord of the Treasury. Waldegrave tried to form a government from 8 to 12 June 1757, but failed to do so and stepped down. Waldegrave retired from public life in 1760, and died of smallpox in 1763. His memoirs were published posthumously in 1821. Through one of his daughters, Waldegrave was an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales. His modern descendants include Diana's sons William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.