Thomas Pelham-Holles
1st Duke of Newcastle
Years: 1693 - 1768
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, KG, PC, FRS (July 21, 1693 – November 17, 1768) is a British Whig statesman, whose official life extended throughout the Whig supremacy of the 18th century.
He is commonly known as the Duke of Newcastle.
A protégé of Sir Robert Walpole, he serves under him for more than twenty years, until 1742.
He holds power with his brother, Prime Minister Henry Pelham until 1754.
He has at this point served as a Secretary of State continuously for thirty years—dominating British foreign policy.
After Henry's death the Duke was prime minister six years, in two separate periods.
While his first premiership is not particularly notable, Newcastle precipitates the Seven Years' War; his weak diplomacy costs him the premiership.
After his second term as Prime Minister, he serves for a short while in Lord Rockingham's ministry, before retiring from government.
He is most effective as a deputy to a leader of greater ability, such as Walpole, his brother, or Pitt.
Few politicians in British history match his skills and industry in using patronage to maintain power over long stretches of time.
His genius appears as the chief party manager for the Whigs, 1715-1761.
He uses his energy and his money to select candidates, distribute patronage, and win elections.
He is especially influential in the counties of Sussex, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
His greatest triumph comes in the 1734 election.
Outside the electoral realm, his reputation has suffered. Historian Harry Dickinson says that he became:
Notorious for his fussiness and fretfulness, his petty jealousies, his reluctance to accept responsibility for his actions, and his inability to pursue any political objective to his own satisfaction or to the nations profit ... Many modern historians have depicted him as the epitome of unredeemed mediocrity and as a veritable buffoon in office. (Dickinson, Harry T. (2003). David Loads, ed. Newcastle. Readers Guide to British History. 2. pp. 951–2.)
