Background
John Charles Spencer, the eldest son of George John Spencer, the second Earl Spencer, and Lavinia, the eldest daughter of Charles Bingham, was born on 30 May 1782 at Spencer House, St. James’s, London.
John Charles Spencer, the eldest son of George John Spencer, the second Earl Spencer, and Lavinia, the eldest daughter of Charles Bingham, was born on 30 May 1782 at Spencer House, St. James’s, London.
Owing to his father’s political life and his mother’s social activities, he was somewhat neglected, and he was taught to read by a Swiss footman employed by his mother.
Althorp was a shy though fairly intelligent boy at Harrow and was more given to country pursuits than to academic life. In 1798, despite a desire to go into the navy, he was given a pri¬vate tutor for two years before entering Trinity College, Cambridge, in January 1800. Although he spent considerable time on hunting and rac¬ing while at Trinity, he managed to graduate with an M.A. in 1802. His brief grand tour of the continent seems to have given him no pol¬ish; he was bored with works of art and failed to properly learn French.
Thus equipped, Spencer entered public life .
On the cessation of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 he became increasingly concerned with the plight of the working classes and the need to reduce taxation and reform parliamentary representation. He became at this time something of an expert on financial matters. However, the death of his wife in childbirth in 1818 left him a broken man, and he retired again from Parliament.
Althorp eventually returned to public life to lend his support to the shoemakers of Northampton, who opposed a leather tax in 1812; to work for parliamentary reform and for a reform of the county court system aimed at facilitating the recovery of small traders’ debts; and to oppose any extension of the protective Corn Laws. His public service culminated in his appointment as leader of the advanced Whigs, who believed in radical social reforms, in 1830.
After his election to the House of Commons in 1830, Althorp immediately announced a number of proposals for reform. When the Duke of Wellington’s ministry fell, Althorp reluctandy joined Lord Grey’s government and chose the chancellorship of the exchequer and the leadership of the House of Commons as the posts in which he could be most useful, but stip-ulated that in the event of Grey’s death he should not be required to take over the leadership. As chancellor he made only marginal reductions to expenditure and protected the pension of George IV from the serious cuts that many Whigs favored.
Althorp also worked amicably with Lord John Russell on the Reform Bill; he took over responsibility for it completely on 10 August 1831; and with some modifications to placate the Lords, he carried the bill in Parliament on 4 June 1832. Again, however, he became a reluctant parliamentarian, and he resigned from the government on 7 July 1833; but he was persuaded by a massive vote of confidence to continue in office when Grey was replaced by Melbourne. On 10 November 1833 his father died, and his succession to the earldom in 1834 became the opportunity he sought to retire finally from public life and to work to restore the family fortune. He spoke tellingly in 1843 in favor of the repeal of the Corn Laws. He died on 1 October 1845, after being taken ill during the Doncaster races.
Although he had been born a Tory and had supported Pitt, under the influence of Charles James Fox he became a Whig committed to preventing the monarchy from exceeding the limits of the parliamentary framework.
He became a Tory M.P. for Oakhampton in 1804, as a supporter of William Pitt, the Younger. He failed to be elected for Cambridge in 1806 but was elected briefly to represent St. Albans before gaining the Northamptonshire seat in November 1806; he held the latter seat until he succeeded to the earldom 28 years later. He rarely attended the House of Commons, preferring to remain in Northamptonshire and to ride with the Pytchley hunt.
Althorp’s position among English statesmen is unique. With moderate abilities he gained the trust and respect of friends and opponents by his simple truthfulness and his patent lack of ambition combined with a desire to do what was right. He stepped from obscurity to high office yet remained determined to quit high office at the earliest opportunity.
Althorp married Esther Acklom in 1814.