William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne

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The Most Honourable The Marquess of Lansdowne KG PC
Portrait by Jean-Laurent Mosnier, 1791
Prime Minister of Great Britain
In office 4 July 1782 – 26 March 1783
Monarch	George III
Preceded by	The Marquess of Rockingham
Succeeded by	The Duke of Portland
Leader of the House of Lords
In office 4 July 1782 – 2 April 1783
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	The Marquess of Rockingham
Succeeded by	The Duke of Portland
Home Secretary
In office 27 March 1782 – 10 July 1782
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Rockingham Himself
Preceded by	The Earl of Hillsborough (Southern Secretary)
Succeeded by	Thomas Townshend
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
In office 30 July 1766 – 20 October 1768
Prime Minister	The Earl of Chatham The Duke of Grafton
Preceded by	The Duke of Richmond
Succeeded by	The Viscount Weymouth
Personal details
Born	(1737-05-02)2 May 1737 Dublin, Ireland
Died	7 May 1805(1805-05-07) (aged 68) Westminster, England
Resting place	All Saints Churchyard, High Wycombe, England
Political party	Whig
Spouses	Sophia Carteret ​ ​ (m. 1765; died 1771)​ Louisa FitzPatrick ​ ​ (m. 1779; died 1789)​
Children	3
Parent	John Petty, 1st Earl of Shelburne (father)
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Great Britain
Branch/service	British Army
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War

William Petty Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne KG PC (2 May 1737 – 7 May 1805; known as the Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history), was an Anglo-Irish Whig statesman who was the first home secretary in 1782 and then prime minister in 1782–83 during the final months of the American War of Independence. He succeeded in securing peace with America and this feat remains his most notable legacy.^[1]

Lord Shelburne was born in Dublin and spent his formative years in Ireland. After attending Oxford University, he served in the British Army during the Seven Years' War. As a reward for his conduct at the Battle of Kloster Kampen, Shelburne was appointed an aide-de-camp to George III. He became involved in politics, becoming a member of parliament in 1760. After his father's death in 1761, he inherited his title and entered the House of Lords.

In 1766, Shelburne was appointed as Southern Secretary, a position which he held for two years. He departed office during the Corsican Crisis and joined the Opposition. Following the fall of the North government, Shelburne joined its replacement under Lord Rockingham. Shelburne was made Prime Minister in 1782 following Rockingham's death, with the American War still being fought.

He lost his authority and influence after being driven out of office at the age of 45 in 1783. Shelburne lamented that his career had been a failure, despite the many high offices he held over 17 years, and his undoubted abilities as a debater. He blamed his poor education—although it was as good as that of most peers—and said the real problem was that "it has been my fate through life to fall in with clever but unpopular connections".