Canning, George

(1770-1827)

   British statesman born into an Anglo-Irish family, he is known for his liberal policies as foreign secretary (1807-1809, 1822-1827) and as prime minister for a short period during 1827. In order to support the family after her husband died, his beautiful mother became an actress, something that did not fit comfortably with eighteenth century English society. Educated at Eton College and after graduating from Christ Church, Oxford (1791), he came under the influence of the prime minister, William Pitt (the "Younger"), and was elected member of Parliament for Newtown, Isle of Wight, in 1793. Canning and Viscount Castelreagh were at loggerheads and ended up fighting a duel; Canning was wounded in the thigh. They both resigned, and when Castelreagh committed suicide in 1822, Canning became foreign secretary. He is buried in the North Transept of Westminster Abbey. His Poems were published in 1823, and he collaborated with others to produce several long poems. Some of his poems: "All the Talents," "Blue and Buff," "Elijah's Mantle," "New Morality," "The Rovers, or, The Double Arrangement," "The Grand Consulation," "The Pilgrimage to Mecca," "The Slavery of Greece," "The Traitor's Epitaph."

   Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition, 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, 2006. English Poetry: Author Search. Chadwyck-Healey Ltd., 1995 (http://www.lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). Encyclopedia of Britain. Bamber Gascoigne. London: Macmillan, 1994. The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000. Poetry of the Anti-Jacobin. William Gifford, ed. J. Wright, pub., 1801. Westminster Abbey Official Guide (no date).