John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham

Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue Entry

Sitter in 61 portraits
Entered Parliament as an MP in 1813. In 1816 he married Louisa Grey, daughter of Earl Grey. He was appointed Lord Privy Seal in Grey's cabinet in 1830, and helped draft the Reform Bill two years later. In 1833, Lambton resigned from the Cabinet after a series of bereavements; he was raised to the House of Lords later that year. In 1837, he became Governor in Chief of British North America and was sent to Canada to investigate rebellions there. His report recommended the union of Lower and Upper Canada as a step to a union of all the British North American provinces. It also recommended a modified form of responsible government, which was implemented, and by 1847 Canada was a functioning democracy.