Aberdeen

Aberdeen (George Hamilton Gordon), 5th Earl of, born 1784; succeeded his grandfather, 1802; sat in Parliament as a representative peer, 1807; and was in 1814 created a peer of the United Kingdom as Viscount Gordon. He joined the Tory party, and was Foreign Secretary in Wellington's administration (1828-30). In 1841 he held the same office under Peel, and on the latter's death was regarded as head of the Peelites. In 1852 he became Prime Minister, and formed the coalition Government which was responsible for the Crimean War, 1854. His moderation towards Russia made him unpopular, and he made way for Lord Palmerston, February, 1855. He died in 1860, leaving a son, the 6th Earl, who, after a romantic life, perished at sea, and was succeeded by his brother.