William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, KG, PC (8 May 1720 – 2 October 1764), styled Lord Cavendish before 1729 and Marquess of Hartington between 1729 and 1755, was a British Whig statesman who was briefly titular Prime Minister of Great Britain.
He was elected MP for Derbyshire in 1741 and 1747, but left the House of Commons for the Lords in 1751 by a writ of acceleration as Baron Cavendish and was sworn of the Privy Council. He was Lord Lie...
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William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, KG, PC (8 May 1720 – 2 October 1764), styled Lord Cavendish before 1729 and Marquess of Hartington between 1729 and 1755, was a British Whig statesman who was briefly titular Prime Minister of Great Britain.
He was elected MP for Derbyshire in 1741 and 1747, but left the House of Commons for the Lords in 1751 by a writ of acceleration as Baron Cavendish and was sworn of the Privy Council. He was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 2 April 1755 until 3 January 1757, when his successor, the 4th Duke of Bedford, entered the office.
After inheriting his father's peerage titles (chiefly the Dukedom of Devonshire), Devonshire was given the Garter and appointed First Lord of the Treasury (most historians consider him Prime Minister during this service) in November 1756, and he served as First Lord until May 1757 in an administration effectively run by William Pitt the Elder. The administration was eventually brought down for a variety of reasons...
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