{{short description|British politician}} {{For|his son|James Grenville, 1st Baron Glastonbury}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} {{Use British English|date=March 2018}} '''James Grenville''' (12 February 1715 – 14 September 1783) was a British politician.
He was born at Wotton House, Buckinghamshire in 1715 into the influential Grenville political family and was one of five brothers who went into politics. He was the third son of Richard Grenville, a prominent Buckinghamshire politician and his brothers included Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, George Grenville, later the Prime Minister, and Thomas Grenville. He was educated at Eton College (1728–32) and studied law at the Inner Temple, where he was called to the bar in 1738.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/grenville-james-1715-83|title=GRENVILLE, James (1715-83), of Butleigh Court, Som.|publisher= History of Parliament Online|accessdate= 11 June 2016}}</ref>
In 1738 he inherited Butleigh Court, Somerset from his aunt Catherine Riggs née Symcox.<ref name= BH/>
He was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1741 on the slate of Lord Cobham and served as one of Cobham's Cubs during his early years in parliament. In 1746 he was given a position at the Board of Trade.<ref>Lawson p.43-44</ref> From 1756 to 1761, under Pitt, he was a junior Lord of the Treasury. Other positions included Lord of the Treasury (Nov. 1756-Apr. 1757 and July 1757-Mar. 1761), Cofferer of the Household (Mar.-Oct. 1761), Privy Counsellor, 1761 and Joint Vice-Treasurer of Ireland (Aug. 1766-Jan. 1770).
In October 1761 following his brother-in-law William Pitt's resignation, James Grenville resigned along with him and went into opposition. He later oversaw the reconciliation between George Grenville, who had caused a rift with his family by not resigning, and their eldest brother Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple a close ally of Pitt.<ref>Lawson p.216-217</ref>
He married Mary, the daughter and heiress of James Smyth of South Elkington, Lincolnshire and with her had twin sons. He was succeeded in 1783 by his son James, who received most of his estate and was later created Baron Glastonbury, although some property also passed to the younger twin General Richard Grenville.<ref name = BH>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol9/pp82-102|title=Butleigh|publisher= British History Online|accessdate= 26 March 2018}}</ref> Both sons served together as the MPs for Buckingham from 1774 to 1780.
He is buried Church of St Leonard, Butleigh.
==References== <references/>
==Bibliography== * Lawson, Philip. ''George Grenville: A Political Life''. University of Manchester Press, 1984.
{{s-start}} {{s-par|gb}} {{s-bef | before = William Pitt | before2 = George Lyttelton }} {{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Old Sarum | years = 1742–1747 | with = William Pitt }} {{s-aft | after = William Pitt | after2 = Edward Willes }} {{s-bef | before = Viscount Deerhurst | before2 = Thomas Grenville }} {{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Bridport | years = 1747–1754 | with = Viscount Deerhurst 1747 | with2 = John Frederick Pinney 1747–54 }} {{s-aft | after = John Frederick Pinney | after2 = Thomas Coventry }}
{{s-bef | before = George Grenville | before2 = Temple West }} {{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Buckingham | years = 1754–1768 | with = George Grenville }} {{s-aft | after = George Grenville | after2 = Henry Grenville }}
{{s-bef | before = Sir Lionel Pilkington | before2 = Robert Pratt }} {{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Horsham | years = 1768–1770 | with = Robert Pratt }} {{s-aft | after = Robert Pratt | after2 = James Wallace }} {{s-court}} {{succession box | title=Cofferer of the Household | years=1761 | before=The Duke of Leeds | after=The Earl of Thomond }} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grenville, James}} Category:1715 births Category:1783 deaths Category:Politicians from Buckinghamshire Category:People educated at Eton College Category:Members of the Inner Temple Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Bridport Category:Younger sons of earls Category:British MPs 1741–1747 Category:British MPs 1747–1754 Category:British MPs 1754–1761 Category:British MPs 1761–1768 Category:British MPs 1768–1774 Category:Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain James