Lord (William) George Frederick Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (
27 February 1802 –
21 September 1848), better known as simply
Lord George Bentinck, was an
English Conservative politician and
racehorse owner, best known (with
Benjamin Disraeli) for his role in unseating
Sir Robert Peel over the
Corn Laws.
Bentinck was a younger son of the
4th Duke of Portland, and elected a
Member of Parliament (MP) for
King's Lynn in
1828, which constituency he represented, in succession to his elder brother, until his death. Although initially a follower of
George Canning, Bentinck supported the
Whigs over the question of
parliamentary reform. However, in
1834 he broke with the Whigs and, like
Lord Stanley and
Sir James Graham, among others, joined the new Conservative Party which formed under the leadership of Peel.
Bentinck first became prominent in politics in
1846 when he, with Disraeli, led the
protectionist opposition to the repeal of the
Corn Laws. Until he rose to speak against their repeal, he had not spoken a word in eighteen years in Parliament. Historians see Bentinck's participation as vital, for the majority of those who opposed repeal were country gentlemen, who were far more likely to follow the son of a Duke than Disraeli, an Anglicized
Sephardic-Jewish literary figure of somewhat ill-repute. Although Bentinck and Disraeli did not prevent the repeal of the Corn Laws, they did succeed in forcing Peel's resignation some weeks later over the Irish Coercion Bill. The Conservative Party broke in half; some hundred free-trade
Peelites followed Peel, while two hundred and thirty protectionists formed the new Conservative Party, with Stanley (later the Earl of Derby) as overall leader. Bentinck became leader of the party in the
House of Commons.
Bentinck resigned the leadership in
1848, his support of Jewish emancipation being unpopular with the bulk of the party, and was succeeded by the
Marquess of Granby. He died of a heart attack in September of that year.
In addition to his political activities, Bentinck was well known for his interest in "the Turf." Bentinck owned several successful race horses and his stable was renowned for its quality. Bentinck was particularly admired in many quarters for his efforts to eliminate fraud in the sport.
He is commemorated with a
statue in London's Cavendish Square Gardens.
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