Augustus Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton
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His Grace The Duke of Grafton KG PC |
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Portrait by Pompeo Batoni, 1762. National Portrait Gallery, London
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| Prime Minister of Great Britain | |
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In office 14 October 1768 – 28 January 1770 |
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| Monarch | George III |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Chatham |
| Succeeded by | Lord North |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 September 1735 |
| Died | 14 March 1811 (aged 75) Euston Hall, Suffolk |
| Political party | Whig |
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| Children | 9 |
| Alma mater | Peterhouse, Cambridge |
| Religion | Unitarian |
| Signature |  |
Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, KG, PC (28 September 1735 – 14 March 1811), styled Earl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was a British Whig statesman of the Georgian era. He is one of a handful of dukes who have served as Prime Minister.
He became Prime Minister in 1768 at the age of 33, leading the supporters of William Pitt, and was the youngest person to have held the office until the appointment of William Pitt the Younger 15 years later. However, he struggled to demonstrate an ability to counter increasing challenges to Britain's global dominance following the nation's victory in the Seven Years' War. He was widely attacked for allowing France to annex Corsica, and stepped down in 1770, handing over power to Lord North.
He was a son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy, a Captain in the Royal Navy, and Elizabeth Cosby, daughter of Colonel William Cosby, who served as a colonial Governor of New York. His father was the third son of the 2nd Duke of Grafton and Lady Henrietta Somerset, which made FitzRoy a great-grandson of both the 1st Duke of Grafton and the Marquess of Worcester. He was notably a fourth-generation descendant of King Charles II and the 1st Duchess of Cleveland; the surname FitzRoy stems from this illegitimacy. His younger brother was the 1st Baron Southampton. From the death of his uncle in 1747, he was styled Earl of Euston as his grandfather's heir apparent.
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