Everything about William Grant totally explained
Sir William Grant (
October 13 1752 –
May 23 1832) was an
British lawyer,
Member of Parliament from 1790–1812 and
Master of the Rolls from 1801–1817.
He was born at
Elchies,
Moray,
Scotland. His father was a tenant farmer, later collector of the customs in the
Isle of Man; after the death of his parents, Grant was raised by his uncle Robert Grant, a
London merchant with fur-trading interests in
Canada. Grant studied at
King's College,
University of Aberdeen, at the
University of Leiden and then studied law at
Lincoln's Inn. He was called to the bar in 1774. Grant arrived at the
town of Quebec in 1775 and took part in its defence against the
Americans. In 1776, he was appointed attorney general for the province. However, Lord
George Germain, secretary of state for the American colonies, chose
James Monk for the post. In the meantime, Grant had issued ordinances establishing civil and criminal courts in
Quebec. He returned to Britain in 1778.
Grant's legal career after his return was initially quite unsuccessful, and he contemplated returning to Canada. However, on the advice of
Lord Thurlow, he turned with better success to the
equity courts. An interview with
Pitt encouraged his Parliamentary ambitions, and he was returned as
Member of Parliament for
Shaftesbury in 1790. Grant proved to be a powerful orator, giving a lucid explanation of Canadian law during the debates over the
Quebec Government Bill.
He received a
patent of precedence in 1793, was made a
bencher of Lincoln's Inn, and was appointed a Welsh justice for the
Carmarthen great sessions. However, he wasn't returned for Shaftesbury at the
by-election triggered by his appointment, returning to Parliament only in February 1794 for
Windsor after a strenuously-fought contest. In March, he was appointed
Solicitor-General to
Queen Charlotte. His oratorical reputation was renewed the following year with a defense of the
Seditious Meetings Act 1795.
In 1796, Grant was returned for
Banffshire, which he continued to represent until 1812. He was appointed
Chief Justice of Chester in 1798, and the following year was made
Solicitor General and knighted. Grant left office with Pitt, but under
Addington, was made
Master of the Rolls and sworn of the
Privy Council on
21 May 1801. He continued to support Addington and the second Pitt ministry in debate in the
House of Commons; his defense of
Melville in 1805 brought him into conflict with
Grenville when he came to power.
Grant declined an offer of the
Chancellorship of Ireland in 1807 from the
Duke of Portland, but supported the Portland and
Perceval ministries. He left office as Master of the Rolls in 1817, but continued for several years to hear appeals to the Privy Council at the
cockpit. Among other honors, Grant served as treasurer of Lincoln's Inn in 1798,
rector of the
University of Aberdeen from 1809, and was awarded a
DCL by the
University of Oxford in 1820.
Grant died at his sister's house
Dawlish,
Devon,
England on
25 May 1832. He was remembered both for the excellence and persuasiveness of his Parliamentary oration, as well as for eloquence and exposition during his judicial career.
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