Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/306

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GRENVILLE. 270 GRESHAM. lowing year he returned to Virginia, bringing sup- plies for the colonists at Roanoke, but found the settlement abandoned, the peojile having re- turned to England with Sir Francis Drake. Dur- ing the homeward trip he landed at the Azores, where he pillaged towns and carried otf prisoners. In 1591_. as second in command, on the Revenge, he accompanied Lord Thomas Howard to the Azores to intercept the treasure fleet of Spain. The English were surprised by a powerful Span- ish armada, and for some cause not perfectly clear the lievenyc was delayed until the Span- iards got to windward of her. and cut her off from the rest of the squadron. Greuville at- tempted to break through the Spanish line, and was overpowered and captured, after fifteen Ixburs of desperate fighting with one hundred and fifty men against five thousand. Grenville was mortal- ly wounded, and died three days afterwards. Consult Arber, "Last Fight of the Ecienye at Sea." in English Reprints, vol. xiv. (London, 1871). The narratives of Grenville's voyages are in Hakluvt, XoticKjes, vols. ii. and iii. (London, (1809-12; Edinburgh, 1889-90). GRENVILLE, Richabd Temple. See Temple, Eabl. GRENVILIiE, William VVyndham, Lord Gbenville (1759-1834). An English statesman, tile youngest son of (.ieorge Grenville ( q.v. ) . He was born on October 25, 1759. After studying at Eton and Oxford with brilliant success, he under- went a law course at Lincoln's Inn, but did not enter the profession. He became a member of the House of Commons in 1782. and attended his eldest brother. Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, in the character of secretary. Soon after he became Pa3'master-General of the army, and in 1789 was chosen Speaker of the House of Commons. In 1790 he was appointed Secretary of State for the Home Department, and was raised to the peerage with the title of Baron Grenville. He became Foreign Secretary in the ensuing year. He resigned office, along with Pitt, in 1801, on the refusal of George III. to give his assent to the Catholic Emancipation Bill. He was Premier of the 'All the Talents IMinistry' (q.v.) in 1806- 07. the chief act of which was the abolition of the slave trade. In 1809 he was chosen chancel- lor of the University of Oxford. From 1815 he acted along with Earl Grey, and generally sup- ported Jlr. Canning. He died at Dropmore, Buckinghamshire, January 12, 1834. GRESH'AM, Sir Thomas (1519-79). An English merchant and financier. He was edu- cated at Gonville Hall, Cambridge, was appren- ticed to his uncle. Sir .John Gresham, merchant, and was admitted to membership in the Jlercers Company (1543). In 1551 he became King's fac- tor at Antwerp, in which office it was his busi- ness to negotiate royal loans with Flemish mer- chants, to buy arms and military stores, and to divert to England as much bullion as possible. As a result of his skillful management of the finances, the rate of exchange, which had been very unfavorable to England, was much im- proved. Since he was a Protestant, he was dismissed upon Mary's accession to the throne; but he had proved himself indispensable, and was quickly reinstated. Elizabeth's successful finan- cial policy owed much to his shrewd advice. At his suggestion the debased currency was restored, and later, when the troubles in Antwerp curtailed foreign resources, he persuaded her to secure a forced loan from the merchant adventurers and staplers, by the detention of their fleets, in 1554 he was sent to Sjiain to procure buUitm, and in 1559 he was employed as Ambassador to the Duchess of Parma, Regent of the Netherlands. On this occasion he was knighted. He also car- ried on an extensive private business as banker, goldsmith, and mercer, and was held to be the wealthiest merchant of his time. He possessed much landed property, and established the ear- liest paper-mills in England. He applied his wealth to public uses, after the death of his only son, in 1504. He founded a bourse in Lon- don, in imitation of the one at Antwerp, and named it the Roj'al Exchange. He also founded Gresham College and eight almshouses. Con- sult Burgon, Life and Times of Sir Thomas Gresham (London, 1839). See Gresham's Law. GRESHAM, Walter Quinton (1832-95). An American jurist and politician, born near Lanesville. Harrison County, Ind. He was edu- cated at the Indiana State University, but left before completing the course, and, after studying law at Corydon. Ind.. was admitted to the bar in 1853. He stumped the State of Indiana for Fre- mont in the campaign of 1850, and in 1860 was elected as a Republican to the State Legislature. In 1861 he enlisted as a private in the Thirty- eighth Indiana Volunteers, but was chosen lieu- tenant-colonel of the regiment before it left the State. In December, 1801. he was commissioned colonel of the Fifty-third Indiana Volunteers, and commanded it at Shiloh. at Corinth, and in the Vicksburg campaign. For bravery at the siege of Vicksburg he was promoted to be briga- dier-general in August. 1803. He commanded the Fourth Division of the Seventeenth Army Corps of Sherman's army at the beginning of the march to the sea; but at Leggetfs Hill, near Atlanta, was so severely wounded in the knee as to be compelled to retire from active ser- vice. In March, 1805. he was brevetted major- general. After the war he resumed his law- prac- tice at New Albany. Ind.. and in 1866 was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Congress. After spending the greater part of the next two years in New York City as financial agent for his native State, he was appointed in 1869 by President Grant United States District Judge for Indiana. In 1880 he was an unsuccessful candi- date for the L^nited States Senate, and in 1882 resigned his seat on the bench in order to accept President Arthur's tender of the office of Post- master-General, made vacant by the death of Timothy O. Howe. In 1884 he was made Secre- tary of the Treasury, a position which he held for a few months, when he was appointed L'nited States Circuit .Judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit. He w'as a candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 1884 and 1888. Later his views on the tariff underwent a cliangc. and he found liimself out of sympathy with liis party. Several of his judicial decisions had won for him the support of the Populists, and had he con- sented he could have been nominated for the Pres- idency at the national convention of that party held at Omaha. Neb., in .July. 1892. He refused to allow his name to be considered, however, and soon after issued a public statement declaring his purpose to support Grover Cleveland's candi- dacy. After his election. President Cleveland named Judge Gresham Secretary of State.