Dec 31, 2009

Oxford Dictionary of World History | Aberdeen, George Hamilton Gordon, 4th Earl of

Aberdeen, George Hamilton Gordon, 4th Earl of ( 1784 – 1860 )
British statesman. He was Foreign Secretary during 1828 – 30 and again from 1841 to 1846 , when he concluded the Webster–Ashburton and Oregon Boundary treaties, which settled boundary disputes between the USA and Canada. As a leader of those Conservatives who campaigned for free trade, he supported Sir Robert Peel in repealing the Corn Laws ( 1846 ). As Prime Minister ( 1852 – 55 ) of the ‘Aberdeen Coalition’, he reluctantly involved his country in the Crimean War and was subsequently blamed for its mismanagement. He resigned in 1855 .