George Grey

Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a soldier, explorer, Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Cape Colony (South Africa), the 11th Premier of New Zealand and a writer. By political philosophy a Gladstonian liberal, Grey eschewed the class system for the prosaic life of Auckland's new governance he helped to establish.

Early life and exploration

Grey was born in Lisbon, Portugal, the only son of Bvt. Lieutenant-Colonel George Grey, of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot, who was killed at the Battle of Badajoz in Spain just a few days before. His mother, Elizabeth Anne, on the balcony of her hotel in Lisbon, overheard two officers speak of her husband's death and this brought on the premature birth of the child. She was the daughter of a retired soldier turned Irish clergyman, Major later Rev. John Vignoles. Grey's grandfather was Owen Wynne Gray (c. 1745 – 6 January 1819). Grey's uncle was John Gray, who was Owen Wynne Gray's son from his second marriage.

George Grey (disambiguation)

Sir George Grey (1812–1898) was the Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand.

George Grey may also refer to:

See also

Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet

Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet, PC (11 May 1799 – 9 September 1882) was a British Whig politician. He held office under four Prime Ministers, Lord Melbourne, Lord John Russell, Lord Aberdeen, and Lord Palmerston, and notably served three times as Home Secretary.

Background and education

Grey was the only son of Sir George Grey, 1st Baronet, third son of Charles Grey, 1st Earl Grey, and younger brother of Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey. His mother was Mary Whitbread, daughter of Samuel Whitbread. Grey was educated privately and at Oriel College, Oxford. Originally intending to become a priest, he instead chose law as his profession, and was called to the bar in 1826. He began a successful legal practice, but soon turned to politics.

Political career, 1832–1853

Grey was elected to parliament as a Whig for Devonport in 1832, and quickly made his mark in the House of Commons. He did not hold office in the Whig administration of his uncle Lord Grey, but when Lord Melbourne became Prime Minister in 1834, he was appointed Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The government fell in December of that year, but returned to power in May 1835, when Grey resumed the post of Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (succeeding William Ewart Gladstone). He retained this office until 1839, when he was made Judge Advocate General. The same year Grey was also admitted to the Privy Council. He was then briefly Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1841, with a seat in the cabinet for the first time. However, the Whigs were defeated in the general election of that year.

George Grey (skier)

George Grey (born July 22, 1979, in Sidcup, England) is a Canadian cross-country skier.

Grey made his World Cup debut in 2001, with his best finish coming in early 2009, when he teamed with Alex Harvey to win a bronze medal in the team sprint. His best individual performance thus far is 16th place, which he achieved at Canmore in 2005 and at Davos in 2008. He also had a ninth-place finish in the prologue of the 2008-09 Tour de Ski.

Grey had a pair of top 10 finishes at the 2009 Nordic World Ski Championships, ending up fifth in the 4 x 10 kilometre relay and ninth in the team sprint.

Competing in two Winter Olympics, Grey earned his best finish of seventh in the 4 x 10 km relay at Vancouver in 2010 and had his best individual finish of eighth in the 30 km mixed pursuit at those same games.

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