James Grenville

Who was James Grenville?

James Grenville was a British politician.

He was born at Wotton in 1715 into the influential Grenville political family and was one of five brothers who went into politics. He was the son of Richard Grenville, a prominent Buckinghamshire politician.

He was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1741 on the slate of Lord Cobham and he served as one of Cobham's Cubs during his early years in parliament. In 1746 he was given a position at the Board of Trade. From 1756 to 1761, under Pitt, he was a junior Lord of the Treasury.

In October 1761 following his brother-in-law William Pitt's resignation, James Grenville resigned along with him and went into opposition. He later oversaw the reconciliation between George Grenville, who had caused a rift with his family by not resigning, and their eldest brother Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple a close ally of Pitt.