# George Ponsonby > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/George_Ponsonby > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/George_Ponsonby.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Ponsonby > Source revision: 1347249615 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) British lawyer and Whig politician For his nephew, the Hon. George Ponsonby (1773–1863), Junior Lord of the Treasury, see [George Ponsonby (Junior Lord of the Treasury)](/source/George_Ponsonby_(Junior_Lord_of_the_Treasury)). The Right Honourable George Ponsonby George Ponsonby. Lord Chancellor of Ireland In office 1806–1807 Monarch George III Prime Minister The Lord Grenville Preceded by The Lord Redesdale Succeeded by The Lord Manners Personal details Born 5 March 1755 (1755-03-05) Died 8 July 1817(1817-07-08) (aged 62) Party Whig Alma mater Trinity College, Cambridge **George Ponsonby** (5 March 1755 – 8 July 1817), was a British lawyer and [Whig](/source/Whig_(British_political_faction)) politician. He was [Lord Chancellor of Ireland](/source/Lord_Chancellor_of_Ireland) from 1806 to 1807 in the [Ministry of All the Talents](/source/Ministry_of_All_the_Talents). ## Background and education Ponsonby was the second surviving son of the Honourable [John Ponsonby](/source/John_Ponsonby_(politician)), speaker of the [Irish House of Commons](/source/Irish_House_of_Commons) (1756–71), and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Cavendish (1723–1796), daughter of [William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire](/source/William_Cavendish%2C_3rd_Duke_of_Devonshire). He was educated at [Kilkenny College](/source/Kilkenny_College) and at [Trinity College, Cambridge](/source/Trinity_College%2C_Cambridge).[1] ## Legal and political career A [barrister](/source/Barrister), Ponsonby became a member of the [Irish House of Commons](/source/Irish_House_of_Commons) in 1776. He sat for [Wicklow](/source/Wicklow_(Parliament_of_Ireland_constituency)) between 1778 and 1783 and subsequently for [Inistioge](/source/Inistioge_(Parliament_of_Ireland_constituency)) between 1783 and 1797. From 1798 until the [Act of Union](/source/Act_of_Union%2C_1800) in 1801, he represented [Galway Borough](/source/Galway_Borough_(Parliament_of_Ireland_constituency)).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Ponsonby was [Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer](/source/Chancellor_of_the_Irish_Exchequer) in 1782, afterwards taking a prominent part in the debates on the question of Roman Catholic relief, and leading the opposition to the union of the parliaments.[2] After 1801 Ponsonby represented [County Wicklow](/source/County_Wicklow_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) and then [Tavistock](/source/Tavistock_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) in the [Parliament of the United Kingdom](/source/Parliament_of_the_United_Kingdom); in 1806 to 1807 he was [Lord Chancellor of Ireland](/source/Lord_Chancellor_of_Ireland), and from 1808 to 1817 he was the recognised leader of the opposition in the [British House of Commons](/source/British_House_of_Commons).[2] Ponsonby had been selected as the first recognised [leader of the opposition](/source/Leader_of_the_Opposition_(United_Kingdom)), rather than leader of an opposition, when the two leading [Whig](/source/Whig_Party_(UK)) peers [Lord Grenville](/source/William_Wyndham_Grenville%2C_1st_Baron_Grenville) and [Earl Grey](/source/Charles_Grey%2C_2nd_Earl_Grey), proposed him to Whig MPs. Ponsonby was described by Foorde as "a little-known mediocrity who was related to Lady Grey". He proved to be a weak leader, but was unwilling to resign and so retained the leadership of the party in the House of Commons until his death. He was succeeded as party leader by [George Tierney](/source/George_Tierney). ## Personal life In Dublin, he was a member of [Daly's Club](/source/Daly's_Club).[3] He married Lady Mary Butler, the daughter of [Brinsley Butler, 2nd Earl of Lanesborough](/source/Brinsley_Butler%2C_2nd_Earl_of_Lanesborough) and his wife Lady Jane Rochfort. He left an only daughter, Elizabeth, when he died in London on 8 July 1817, who went on to marry [Francis Aldborough Prittie](/source/Francis_Aldborough_Prittie), MP, by whom she had six children. ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Ponsonby, George (PNSY773G)"](https://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search-2018.pl?sur=&suro=w&fir=&firo=c&cit=&cito=c&c=all&z=all&tex=PNSY773G&sye=&eye=&col=all&maxcount=50). *A Cambridge Alumni Database*. University of Cambridge. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-EB1911_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-EB1911_2-1) One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain): [Chisholm, Hugh](/source/Hugh_Chisholm), ed. (1911). "[Ponsonby, John s.v. George Ponsonby](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Ponsonby,_John)". *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 62. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** T. H. S. Escott, *Club Makers and Club Members* (1913), [pp. 329–333](https://archive.org/stream/cu31924028066979#page/n371/mode/2up) - Walker, Brian M., ed. (1978). *Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922*. Royal Irish Academy. - *His Majesty's Opposition 1714–1830*, by Archibald S. Foorde (Oxford University Press 1964) ## External links - *[Hansard](/source/Hansard)* 1803–2005: [contributions in Parliament by George Ponsonby](https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-george-ponsonby-1) Parliament of Ireland Preceded by Hon. Robert Ward Sir William Fownes, Bt Member of Parliament for Wicklow 1778–1783 With: Hon. Robert Ward Succeeded by John Lloyd Edward Tighe Preceded by John Flood Sir John Parnell, Bt Member of Parliament for Inistioge 1783–1797 With: John Ussher 1783–1790 John Lloyd 1790–1797 Succeeded by Henry Tighe John Lloyd Preceded by Peter Daly Sir Skeffington Smyth, Bt Member of Parliament for Galway 1798–1801 With: St George Daly Succeeded by Parliament of the United Kingdom Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded by William Hoare Hume Vacant Member of Parliament for County Wicklow 1801–1806 With: William Hoare Hume Succeeded by William Hoare Hume William Tighe Preceded by Lord William Russell Viscount Howick Member of Parliament for Tavistock 1808–1812 With: Lord William Russell Succeeded by Lord William Russell Hon. Richard FitzPatrick Preceded by William Elliot Marquess of Tavistock Member of Parliament for Peterborough 1812–1816 With: William Elliot Succeeded by William Elliot) Hon. William Lamb Preceded by William Tighe Hon. Granville Proby Member of Parliament for Wicklow 1816–1817 With: Hon. Granville Proby Succeeded by Hon. Granville Proby William Hayes Parnell Political offices Preceded by The Lord Redesdale Lord Chancellor of Ireland 1806–1807 Succeeded by The Lord Manners New office Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons 1808–1817 Succeeded by George Tierney Party political offices New office Leader of the Whig Party in the House of Commons 1808–1817 Succeeded by George Tierney v t e Leaders of the opposition of the United Kingdom House of Commons Fox Howick Ponsonby Tierney Peel Althorp Peel Russell Peel Russell Bentinck Granby Granby/Herries/Disraeli Disraeli Russell Disraeli Palmerston Disraeli Gladstone Disraeli Gladstone Hartington Northcote Gladstone Hicks Beach Gladstone Balfour Harcourt Campbell-Bannerman Balfour Chamberlain Balfour Law Vacant Carson Asquith Maclean Asquith MacDonald Baldwin MacDonald Baldwin Henderson Lansbury Attlee Lees-Smith Pethick-Lawrence Greenwood Attlee Churchill Attlee Morrison Gaitskell Brown Wilson Douglas-Home Heath Wilson Heath Thatcher Callaghan Foot Kinnock Smith Beckett Blair Major Hague Duncan Smith Howard Cameron Harman Miliband Harman Corbyn Starmer Sunak Badenoch House of Lords Grenville Grey 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne Wellington 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne Wellington Melbourne Wellington Melbourne 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne Stanley 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne Derby (Stanley) Granville Derby Russell Granville Malmesbury Cairns Richmond Granville Beaconsfield 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Granville 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Granville Kimberley 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Rosebery Kimberley Spencer Ripon 5th Marquess of Lansdowne Crewe Curzon of Kedleston Haldane Parmoor 4th Marquess of Salisbury Hailsham Parmoor Ponsonby of Shulbrede Snell Addison 5th Marquess of Salisbury Addison Jowitt Alexander of Hillsborough Carrington Shackleton Carrington Peart Cledwyn of Penrhos Richard Cranborne Strathclyde Royall of Blaisdon Smith of Basildon True Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States People Ireland Other Open Library SNAC --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [George Ponsonby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Ponsonby) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Ponsonby?action=history)). 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