James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury

James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury,, styled Viscount Cranborne from birth until 1823, was a British Conservative politician. He held office under the Earl of Derby as Lord Privy Seal in 1852 and Lord President of the Council between 1858 and 1859. He was the father of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and grandfather of Arthur Balfour, who also served as Prime Minister.

Background

Salisbury was the son of James Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury, and Lady Emily Hill, daughter of Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire.

Political career

Salisbury entered the House of Commons in 1813 as Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, a seat he held until 1817, and then sat for Hertford between 1817 and 1823.
In the latter year, he succeeded his father in the marquessate and entered the House of Lords. He served in the Lord Derby's first two cabinets as Lord Privy Seal in 1852 and as Lord President of the Council between 1858 and 1859. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1826 and made a Knight of the Garter in 1842.
Apart from his political career he also served as titular Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex between 1841 and 1868, and followed his father as colonel of the Hertfordshire Militia. During a period of unrest in 1830 he raised the South Hertfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry and commanded it with the rank of major. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel the following year when the regiment was expanded. In 1847, however, he exchanged with his second-in-command, James Grimston, 2nd Earl of Verulam, and reverted to the rank of major.

Family

Lord Salisbury was married twice. His first marriage was on 2 February 1821 to Frances Mary Gascoyne, daughter of Bamber Gascoyne of Childwall Hall, Lancashire, and his wife Sarah Bridget Frances Price. A biography of her by Carola Oman appeared in 1966. Upon marrying Frances, he added her surname to his own; subsequent Marquesses of Salisbury have therefore all borne the surname Gascoyne-Cecil. The couple had six children, including:

James Emilius William Evelyn Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne, died unmarried.
Lady Mildred Arabella Charlotte Gascoyne-Cecil, married Alexander Beresford Hope and had children.
Lord Arthur Gascoyne-Cecil, died in infancy.
Lady Blanche Mary Harriet, married James Maitland Balfour; mother of Prime Minister Arthur Balfour.
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times between 1885 and 1902, married Georgina Alderson and had children.
Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Eustace Brownlow Henry Gascoyne-Cecil, married Lady Gertrude Louisa Scott and had children.

Lord Salisbury's second marriage, on 29 April 1847, was to Lady Mary Catherine Sackville-West, daughter of George Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr, and Elizabeth Sackville-West, Countess De La Warr, with whom he had five children:

Lord Sackville Arthur Cecil, died unmarried.
Lady Mary Arabella Arthur Cecil, married Alan Stewart, 10th Earl of Galloway.
Lady Margaret Elizabeth Cecil, died unmarried.
Lord Arthur Cecil, married Elizabeth Ann Wilson and had children; married secondly, in 1902, Frederica von Klenck, daughter of diplomat Baron Otto von Klenck, of Gmunden, and his British-born wife née Stewart.
Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Lionel Cecil, died unmarried.

Lord Salisbury died in April 1868, aged 76, and was succeeded as marquess by his third, eldest surviving son, Robert. The Marchioness of Salisbury died in December 1900.