Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Sir James George Robert Graham
GRAHAM, Sir James George Robert, Bart. (1792-1861), a well-known British statesman, was born at Naworth, Cumberland, 1st June 1792. From Westminster school he duly passed to Queen's College, Cambridge; and shortly after quitting the university, while making the "grand tour" abroad, he became private secretary to the British minister in Sicily, in which capacity he not only acquired much useful experience but also rendered some important services. Shortly after his return to England he, in 1818, after a contest of extraordinary keenness, was returned to parliament as member for Hull in the Whig interest; but he was unseated at the election of 1820. In 1824 he succeeded to the baronetcy on his father's death; and in 1826 he again entered parliament as representative for Carlisle. In the same year he published a pamphlet entitled Corn and Currency, which brought him into considerable prominence in the political world as a man of advanced Liberal opinions; and having been returned in 1830 for the county of Cumberland, he became one of the most energetic advocates in parliament of the Reform Bill. On the formation of Earl Grey's administration he received the post of first lord of the admiralty, with a seat in the cabinet. From 1832 to 1837 he sat for the eastern division of the county of Cumberland; but dissensions on the Irish Church question led to his withdrawal from the ministry in 1834, and ultimately to his joining the Conservative party. Rejected by his former constituents in 1837, he was in 1838 elected for Pembroke, and in 1841 for Dorchester. In the latter year he took office under Sir Robert Peel as secretary of state for the home department, and this post he retained until 1846. As home secretary he incurred considerable odium, in Scotland at least, by his unconciliating policy on the church question prior to the "disruption " of 1843; and in 1844 the detention and opening of letters at the post-office by his warrant raised a storm of public indignation, which was hardly allayed by the favourable report of a parliamentary committee of investigation. From 1846 to 1852 he was out of office; but in the latter year he joined Lord Aberdeen's cabinet as first lord of the admiralty, in which capacity he acted also for a short time in the Palmerston ministry of 1855, until the appointment of a select committee of inquiry into the conduct of the Russian war put him upon his defence, and ultimately led to his withdrawal from official life. He continued, however, as a private member to exercise a considerable influence on parliamentary opinion until his death, which occurred at Netherby, Cumberland, 26th October 1861.