Kingdom of Great Britain
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George Canning
Marylebone, London, Kingdom of Great Britain
Archival Overview
Visionary British Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister who recognized the independence of Latin American republics, famously declaring: 'I called the New World into existence to redress the balance of the Old'.
Biographical Record
George Canning (1770–1827) was a British statesman and diplomat of exceptional oratorical brilliance who served twice as Foreign Secretary and briefly as Prime Minister in 1827. Born to an impoverished actress mother and abandoned by his father, Canning was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, by a wealthy uncle, becoming the protégé of William Pitt the Younger.
As Foreign Secretary during the Napoleonic Wars, Canning planned the preemptive capture of the Danish fleet at Copenhagen in 1807. Returning to the Foreign Office in 1822, he dismantled the autocratic Holy Alliance in Europe, supported Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire, and recognized the newly liberated republics of Latin America (Mexico, Colombia, Buenos Aires), famously declaring: 'I called the New World into existence to redress the balance of the Old'.
Key Life Milestones
Recognition of Latin American Republics
Officially recognized the independence of the newly formed Latin American republics, thwarting the Holy Alliance's colonial recolonization plans.
Prime Minister and Treaty of London
Appointed Prime Minister and signed the Treaty of London, securing British, French, and Russian naval intervention to liberate Greece.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialLondon, United Kingdom