George North, 3rd Earl of Guilford

Who was George North, 3rd Earl of Guilford?

George Augustus North, 3rd Earl of Guilford, known as the Honourable George North until 1790 and as Lord North from 1790 to 1792, was a British politician.

Guilford was the eldest son of Prime Minister Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, and his wife Anne. He was elected to the House of Commons for Harwich in 1778, a seat he held until 1784, and then represented Wootton Bassett from 1784 to 1790, Petersfield in 1790 and Banbury from 1790 to 1792. The latter year he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the House of Lords. He was a supporter of his fathers policies during the American War of Independence which came under attack from all sides.

Lord Guilford married firstly Maria Frances Mary, daughter of George Hobart, 3rd Earl of Buckinghamshire, in 1785. After her death in 1794 he married secondly Susan, daughter of Thomas Coutts, in 1796. Guilford died in April 1802, aged 44. On his death his junior title of Baron North fell into abeyance between his daughters while he was succeeded in the earldom by his younger brother, Francis. The Countess of Guilford died in 1837.