John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham
The Earl of Durham | |
|---|---|
| Lord Privy Seal | |
| In office 22 November 1830 – March 1833 | |
| Monarch | William IV |
| Prime Minister | The Earl Grey |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Rosslyn |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Ripon |
| Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada | |
| In office 1838–1839 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Lord Melbourne |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Gosford |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Sydenham |
| Governor General and High Commissioner, British North America | |
| In office 1838–1839 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Lord Melbourne |
| Preceded by | Sir John Colborne |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Sydenham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 April 1792 St George Hanover Square, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 28 July 1840 (aged 48) Cowes, England |
| Party | Whig |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 8 |
| Parents |
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| Signature | |
| Military career | |
| Branch | British Army |
| Service years | 1809–1811 |
| Rank | Cornet |
| Unit | 10th Hussars |
John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, GCB, PC (12 April 1792 – 28 July 1840), also known as "Radical Jack" and commonly referred to in Canadian history texts as Lord Durham, was a British Whig statesman, colonial administrator, Governor General and high commissioner of British North America.
A leading reformer, Lord Durham played a major role in the passage of the Reform Bill of 1832. He later served as ambassador to Russia. He was a founding member and chairman of the New Zealand Company that played a key role in the colonisation of New Zealand.
George Woodcock wrote Lord Durham was "proud, wayward, immensely rich, with romantic good looks and an explosive temper", one of those "natural rebels who turn their rebellious energies to constructive purposes. Both at home and abroad he became a powerful exponent of the early nineteenth-century liberal spirit."