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William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (8 May 1720 — 2 October 1764), styled Lord Cavendish before 1729 and Marquess of Hartington between 1729 and 1755, was a British Whig statesman who was briefly nominal Prime Minister of Great Britain.〔(Duke of Devonshire ), No10.gov.uk, accessed July 2009 - Note the picture on the No10 site is wrong - it was painted after this Duke's death - it is his son〕 He was the first son of William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire and Catherine Hoskins. ==Early career: 1741–1756== He was elected MP for Derbyshire in 1741 and 1747. Devonshire was a supporter of Sir Robert Walpole and, after Walpole's fall from power, of the Pelhams. Henry Pelham wrote to Devonshire's father that he was "our mainstay among the young ones, of themselves liable to wander".〔G. M. D. Howat, ‘The Duke of Devonshire (1756-1757)’, in Herbert van Thal (ed.), ''The Prime Ministers. Volume the First. Sir Robert Walpole to Sir Robert Peel'' (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1974), pp. 95-96.〕 Horace Walpole described him as "a favourite by descent of the Old Whigs"〔Horace Walpole, ''Memoirs of King George II. I: January 1751 - March 1754'' (Yale University Press, 1985), p. 8.〕 and as "errant () bigot to the Pelham faction as ever Jacques Clément was to the Jesuits".〔Walpole, p. 122.〕 He had been offered the post of governor to the Prince of Wales but he declined.〔Walpole, p. 61.〕 Pelham appointed him Master of the Horse, a post he held until 1755 and which necessitated his leaving the House of Commons for the House of Lords by writ of acceleration as Baron Cavendish and joining the Privy Council.〔Peter D. Brown and Karl W. Schweizer (eds.), ''The Devonshire Diary. William Cavendish, Fourth Duke of Devonshire. Memoranda on State Affairs. 1759-1762'' (London: Butler & Tanner Ltd, 1982), p. 5.〕 Devonshire supported the Duke of Newcastle after Henry Pelham's death in 1754 and was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 2 April 1755 until 3 January 1757 in Newcastle's administration. In April 1755 Devonshire was one of the Lords Justices of the realm upon the King's absence in Hanover.〔Brown and Schweizer, p. 6.〕 Devonshire succeeded to the dukedom in December 1755 after his father died. The Seven Years' War was going badly for Britain under the leadership of the Duke of Newcastle and when he resigned in October 1756, George II eventually asked Devonshire to form an administration.〔Howat, p. 97.〕 Devonshire accepted on the condition that his tenure would last only until the end of the parliamentary session. Devonshire believed his duty to the King required an administration capable of prosecuting the war successfully.〔Brown and Schweizer, pp. 7-8.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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