Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham

Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham

Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham, KB, PC (ca. 1695 – 30 September 1770) was a British diplomatist and politician. He was a younger son of Sir William Robinson, Bt. (1655–1736) of Newby, Yorkshire, who was member of parliament for York from 1697 to 1722.

Early career

Having been a scholar and minor fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, Thomas Robinson gained his earliest diplomatic experience in Paris and then went to Vienna, where he was English ambassador from 1730 to 1748. During 1741 he sought to make peace between the empress Maria Theresa and Frederick the Great, but in vain, and in 1748 he represented his country at the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle. He was made a Knight Companion of the Bath in 1742.

Returning to England he sat in parliament for Christchurch from 1749 to 1761. In 1750, he was appointed to the Privy Council.

Southern Secretary

Further information: Great Britain in the Seven Years War

In 1754 Robinson was appointed Secretary of State for the Southern Department and Leader of the House of Commons by the prime minister, the Duke of Newcastle, and it was on this occasion that Pitt made the famous remark to Fox, "the duke might as well have sent us his jackboot to lead us." In November 1755 he resigned, and in April 1761 he was created Baron Grantham.

Later career

He was Master of the Great Wardrobe 1749–1754 and again 1755–1760, and was joint Postmaster-General in 1765 and 1766. He died in London on 30 September 1770.

He married Frances, daughter of Thomas Worsley of Hovingham, on 13 July 1737, and had two sons and six daughters. He was succeeded in the peerage by his eldest son, Thomas.

The town of Grantham, New Hampshire in the United States of America is named after Robinson.

References

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Sir Thomas Frankland William St. Quinton	Member of Parliament for Thirsk 1727 – 1734 With: Sir Thomas Frankland	Succeeded by Sir Thomas Frankland Frederick Meinhardt Frankland
Preceded by Edward Hooper Charles Armand Powlett	Member of Parliament for Christchurch 1748 – 1761 With: Charles Armand Powlett 1748–1751 Lord Harry Powlett 1751–1754 Hon. John Mordaunt 1754–1761	Succeeded by Hon. Thomas Robinson James Harris
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by The Earl Waldegrave	British Ambassador to Austria 1730 - 1748	Succeeded by Robert Keith
Court offices
Preceded by The Duke of Montagu	Master of the Great Wardrobe 1749–1754	Succeeded by The Viscount Barrington
Preceded by The Viscount Barrington	Master of the Great Wardrobe 1755–1760	Succeeded by The Earl Gower
Political offices
Preceded by The Earl of Holdernesse	Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1754–1755	Succeeded by Henry Fox
Preceded by Sir Henry Pelham	Leader of the House of Commons 1754–1755
Preceded by The Baron Trevor The Baron Hyde	Postmaster-General 1765–1766 With: The Earl of Bessborough	Succeeded by Viscount Hillsborough The Baron le Despencer
Peerage of Great Britain
New creation	Baron Grantham 1761 – 1770	Succeeded by Thomas Robinson