Frederick Robinson, second son of Baron Grantham, was born in London
in 1782. After being educated at Harrow
and Cambridge University, he trained
as a lawyer. However, he ended his studies when he was offered the
post as private secretary to the Earl of Hardwicke, Lord Lieutenant
of Ireland.
At the 1806 General Election, Robinson was
elected to represent the Carlow in the House
of Commons. He held the seat for a year but in the next General
Election he switched to Ripon.
In 1809 the Duke of Portland appointed
him as his under-secretary for the colonies and the following year
he accepted the post of lord of the admiralty under Spencer
Perceval. When Lord Liverpool became
Prime Minister in 1812, Robinson became President of the Board
of Trade.
In 1815 Robinson was responsible for the introduction of the new Corn
Laws. In the street riots that followed, Robinson's house in Old
Burlington Street was attacked and valuable pictures and pieces of
furniture were destroyed. Robinson supported the Six
Acts and unsuccessfully opposed the appointment of a select committee
to look into agricultural distress. Robinson also spoke on several
occasions against Whig attempts to introduce
parliamentary reform.
In 1823 Robinson became Chancellor of the Exchequer. With the support
of William Huskisson at the Board
of Trade, Robinson reduced duties on rum, coal, foreign wool and
raw silk. Robinson experienced problems balancing the budget and in
1827 asked the new Prime Minister, George
Canning, to grant him a peerage and an easier job in the government.
Canning agreed with this request and Robinson became Viscount Goderich
and gave him the post of Secretary of State for War.
When Canning died in August 1827, George
IV asked Goderich to become Prime Minister. His colleagues feared
that he had been chosen because the king felt he could control him
better than other leading politicians. Goderich found it impossible
to stop the conflict between the Whigs and
Tories in the cabinet and on 8th January,
1828, he resigned from office. Goderich was disappointed when the
new Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington,
decided against offering him a post in his government.
When the Whig, Lord
Grey, took office in November, 1830, Goderich was appointed Secretary
of State for War. Goderich now emerged as one of the leading liberals
in the government. He fully supported parliamentary reform and argued
for an end to slavery.
In April, 1833 he was granted a new title, the Earl of Ripon. Later
that year he had the responsibility of taking the Slavery
Abolition Act through the House of Lords.
In May, 1834, he resigned from the government over the proposed Irish
Church Commission, a move that he feared would result in a loss of
power for the Church of England.
The Earl of Ripon returned to government in August, 1841, when he
was appointed by Robert Peel as his President
of the Board of Trade. He was then given
the task of reforming the Corn Laws. After
the passing of the 1846 Corn Law Act. Ripon
resigned from office. Frederick Robinson, Earl of Ripon, died on 14th
May, 1847.
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