Item 95-1014 - The Earl of Durham / Sir Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A. [and] C.E. Wagstaff

John George Lambton was born in Berkeley Square, London on April 12, 1792. He was the eldest son of William Henry Lambton, of Lambton, County of Durham, M.P. for the City of Durham and Lady Anne Barbara Frances Villiers, second daughter of George, fourth Earl of Jersey. He was educated at Eton. He inherited the family estate in 1797 and on June 8, 1809 was gazetted a cornet in the 10th Dragoons. He became a lieutenant in 1810 and retired from the position in 1811. In September of 1813 he was elected to the House of Commons and remained there until his elevation to peerage in 1828. He was created Baron Durham of the City of Durham and Lambton Castle by letters patent. In 1830 he was sworn a member of the privy council and he was appointed lord privy seal. This took place with the formation of the administration of Earl Grey who was the father of Durham's second wife. In 1832 Durham was appointed ambassador extraodinare to St. Petersburg, Berlin and Vienna. He returned to England a month later. In 1833 he resigned from all positions and was created Viscount Lambton and Earl of Durham. He was the first Earl of Durham. After this creation Durham became involved again in politics and once more he was appointed as ambassador extraorinare to St. Petersburg in 1835. He resigned in 1837 and was invested with the order of G.C.B. at Kensington Palace. In 1837 Durham was appointed high commissioner to Lower and Upper Canada in order to help resolve differences. He arrived at Quebec in May. In 1838 he resigned from this post and returned to England. He died July 28, 1840. (Taken from: "Dictionary of National Biography." Vol. XI. Great Britain: Oxford University Press, 1960.)