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Portland, William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd duke of
Portland, William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd duke of (1738–1809). Portland began his career as a follower of Newcastle and rose to the status of second in command to Rockingham, succeeding the latter as official head of the Whig opposition in 1782. He shared the leadership with the party's principal Commons spokesman, Charles Fox, whose charismatic personality has obscured Portland's underrated role. As nominal premier during the short-lived Fox–North coalition ministry, Portland conducted a series of difficult negotiations with the king, which belie his reputation for weakness and indecision. The India Bill crisis, which precipitated the fall of the coalition, set the pattern of politics for a decade, with Portland and Fox the twin leaders of an increasingly organized Whig opposition. Although Portland was a hard-working party organizer, the limitations of his leadership were revealed both during the Regency crisis and, more seriously, by the repercussions of the French Revolution, heralded by Burke's jeremiads. The duke long resisted the pressure to break with Fox, but in 1794 led the conservative Whigs into coalition with Pitt. As home secretary (1794–1801) Portland favoured the use of surveillance and repression to counter the threat of radicalism. He was also a prime mover in the recall of Fitzwilliam from Ireland in 1795 over the question of catholic emancipation—though the assertion that this amounted to a betrayal is not borne out by the surviving evidence. The Fitzwilliam episode contributed to the decline of the Portland Whigs as a distinct group within the ministry and by the early 19th cent. Portland had ceased to be a party leader, but had become an elder statesman, respected by the king. For this reason the aged and infirm duke became the figurehead prime minister (1807–9) in a ministry containing the germs of the Toryism that was later to flourish under Liverpool. Portland's career ended on a sour note with the unseemly duel between two of his cabinet colleagues, Canning and Castlereagh, an event for which the duke's misguided prevarication must be held partly responsible.
David Wilkinson |
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JOHN CANNON. "Portland, William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd duke of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Portland, William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd duke of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-PrtlndWllmCvndshBntnck3rd.html JOHN CANNON. "Portland, William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd duke of." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-PrtlndWllmCvndshBntnck3rd.html |
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Portland, William Cavendish‐Bentinck, 3rd duke of
Portland, William Cavendish‐Bentinck, 3rd duke of (1738–1809). Portland began his career as a follower of Newcastle and rose to the status of second in command to Rockingham, succeeding the latter as official head of the Whig opposition in 1782. He shared the leadership with the party's Commons spokesman, Charles Fox. As nominal premier during the Fox–North coalition ministry, Portland conducted a series of difficult negotiations with the king, which belie his reputation for weakness. The India Bill crisis, which precipitated the fall of the coalition, set the pattern of politics for a decade, with Portland and Fox the twin leaders of an increasingly organized Whig opposition. The duke long resisted the pressure to break with Fox, but in 1794 led the conservative Whigs into coalition with Pitt. As home secretary (1794–1801) Portland favoured the use of surveillance and repression to counter the threat of radicalism. He was also a prime mover in the recall of Fitzwilliam from Ireland in 1795 over the question of catholic emancipation. By the early 19th cent. Portland had ceased to be a party leader, but had become an elder statesman. For this reason the aged and infirm duke became the figurehead prime minister (1807–9) in a ministry that contained the germs of the Toryism that was later to flourish under Liverpool.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Portland, William Cavendish‐Bentinck, 3rd duke of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Portland, William Cavendish‐Bentinck, 3rd duke of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-PrtlndWllmCvndshBntnck3rd.html JOHN CANNON. "Portland, William Cavendish‐Bentinck, 3rd duke of." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-PrtlndWllmCvndshBntnck3rd.html |
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Bentinck, William Henry Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Portland
Bentinck, William Henry Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Portland (1738–1809) British statesman. As leader of the Whig Party he was briefly Prime Minister at the end of the American War of Independence in 1783. Later he supported the government of William PITT (the Younger) in its opposition to the French Revolution. After Pitt's death (January 1806) and the failure of the so-called “Ministry of All the Talents” (1806–07), he was persuaded (1807) to take office again as Prime Minister. Then an old man, he failed to prevent internal dissension in his government, which led to the duel between CANNING and CASTLEREAGH, on news of which he resigned.
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"Bentinck, William Henry Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Portland." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Bentinck, William Henry Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Portland." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-BntnckWllmHnryCvndsh3rdDk.html "Bentinck, William Henry Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Portland." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-BntnckWllmHnryCvndsh3rdDk.html |
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William Henry Cavendish Bentinck Portland, 3d duke of
William Henry Cavendish Bentinck Portland, 3d duke of 1738–1809, British statesman; great-grandson of the 1st earl of Portland . He was lord lieutenant of Ireland (1782) and nominal head of the coalition ministry (1783) dominated by Charles James Fox and Lord North . When the French Revolution shocked the British into passing severe laws against agitators, Portland, as home secretary (1794–1801) under William Pitt , administered them. He promoted the parliamentary union (1800) of Ireland with England and was again—and uneventfully—prime minister from 1807 to 1809. |
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Cite this article
"William Henry Cavendish Bentinck Portland, 3d duke of." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "William Henry Cavendish Bentinck Portland, 3d duke of." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-PrtlndWHCB.html "William Henry Cavendish Bentinck Portland, 3d duke of." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-PrtlndWHCB.html |
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Portland, William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, 3rd Duke of
Portland, William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, 3rd Duke of (1738–1809) British statesman, prime minister (1783, 1807–09). He was briefly made prime minister at the end of the American Revolution. As home secretary (1794–1801), Portland helped William Pitt (the Younger) draft the Act of Union (1801). His second ministry ended in a feud between Canning and Castlereagh.
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Cite this article
"Portland, William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, 3rd Duke of." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Portland, William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, 3rd Duke of." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-PrtlndWllmHnryCvndshBntnc.html "Portland, William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, 3rd Duke of." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-PrtlndWllmHnryCvndshBntnc.html |
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William Henry Cavendish Bentinck
William Henry Cavendish Bentinck see Portland, William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, 3d duke of . |
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Cite this article
"William Henry Cavendish Bentinck." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "William Henry Cavendish Bentinck." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-BentinckWH.html "William Henry Cavendish Bentinck." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-BentinckWH.html |
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