biography
| name: |
Rockingham, Charles Watson Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1730–82)
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| biography:
| British statesman and prime minister (1765–6, 1782). Created Earl of Malton in 1750, he served as gentleman of the bedchamber to George II and George III. As leader of a prominent Whig Opposition group, he was called upon to form a ministry in 1765. He repealed the Stamp Act, affecting the American colonies, then court intrigues caused his resignation. He opposed Britain's war against the colonists. His was the most consistent Opposition Whig group to George III's government in the 1760s and 1770s, and leading spokesmen, such as Fox and Burke, were adherents. He died soon after taking office as prime minister for the second time. |
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