The Viscount Sackville | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | |
| In office 10 November 1775 – February 1782 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Prime Minister | Lord North |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Dartmouth |
| Succeeded by | Welbore Ellis |
| First Lord of Trade | |
| In office 10 November 1775 – 6 November 1779 | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Prime Minister | Lord North |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Dartmouth |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Carlisle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Sackville 26 January 1716 |
| Died | 26 August 1785 (aged 69) Stoneland Lodge, Sussex |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Tory (Northite) |
| Spouse |
Diana Sambrooke
(m. 1754; died 1778) |
| Children | 5, including Charles |
| Parent(s) | Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset Elizabeth Colyear |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Dublin |
Major-General George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, PC (26 January 1716 – 26 August 1785) was a British Army officer, politician and peer who served as Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1775 to 1782. Serving in the North ministry during the American War of Independence, he received significant blame for Britain's defeat in the conflict; Sackville's issuance of confusing instructions to British commanders in North America coupled with his failure to understand either the geography of Britain's American colonies or the determination of the rebels' resolve have led historians to support such arguments. Sackville served in the British army in the War of the Austrian Succession and in Seven Years' War, including at the decisive Battle of Minden, after which he was court-martialled. His political career ended with the fall of the North ministry in March 1782.