| Authorised form of name | Montagu; Charles (1661 - 1715); 1st Earl of Halifax; politician |
| Other forms of name | Montagu, Charles, 1st Baron Halifax; Viscount Sunbury |
| Dates | 1661 - 1715 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Horton, Northamptonshire, England, Europe |
| Date of birth | 16 April 1661 |
| Date of death | 19 May 1715 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Baptism:
St Margaret's, Westminster, London, England, Europe (12 May 1661)
Burial:
Duke of Albemarle's vault, north side of Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, London, England, Europe (26 May 1715) |
| Activity | Education:
Westminster School (1675-1679); Trinity College, Cambridge (matriculated 1679); MA (1682), LLD (Com. Reg. 1705)
Career:
Fellow of Trinity (1683-1688); Auditor of the Exchequer (1679-1714); MP for Maldon, Essex (1689-1695) MP for Westminster (1695-1700); Commissioner for Assessment for Essex and Maldon ((1689-1690), for Westminster (1689), and for Middlesex (1690); Commissioner for Preventing the Export of Wool (1689-1692); Clerk of the Privy Council (1689-1692); Lord of the Treasury (1692-1694); Chancellor of the Exchequer (1694-1699); Privy Councillor (1694-1702, 1714-death); Commissioner of Greenwich Hospital (1695); High Steward of the University of Cambridge (1697-death); First Lord of the Treasury (1697-1699 and 1714-1715); One of the Lords Justices (1698, 1699, 1714); Auditor of the Exchequer (1699-1714); charged with neglecting his duties as Auditor (1703) but no verdict was given; Commissioner for Union with Scotland (1706-1707); Envoy to Hanover (1706); Lord Lieutenant of Surrey (1714-1715); parliamentary orator and patron of literature
Honours:
Baron 1700; KG 1714; Viscount Sunbury and Earl of Halifax 1714 |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 30/11/1695 |
| Proposer | Sir Robert Southwell |
| RSActivity | Royal Society roles:
PRS 1695-1698 |
| Other Royal Society activity | Elected Fellow on the same day he was elected President |
| Relationships | Parents: George Montagu and Elizabeth Irby
Married: Anne Montagu (widow of 3rd Earl of Manchester; née Yelverton)
Additional relatives: grandfather Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester; uncle Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester (FRS 1665) |
| OtherInfo | Montagu was a supporter of William III and benefitted from political opportunities that arose from the revolution of 1688. After his appointment as Lord of the Treasury, he became a government spokesperson in the House of Commons. He also played an important part in negotations on the legislation for the Bank of England's foundation.
Montagu was a member and patron of the so-called Kit-Cat-Club, which brought together various literary Whig men. He was also close and lifelong friends with Isaac Newton (FRS 1672), to whom he, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, offered the wardenship of the Mint in 1696. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Image | 
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| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Venn; Hunter; GEC; Henning; ODNB
References:
Sir John Craig, 'The Royal Society and the Royal Mint' in NR 1964 vol 19 pp 156-167
Milo Keynes, 'The Personality of Isaac Newton' in NR 1995 vol 49 pp 1-56, plate
Sir Alan Cook, 'Ladies in the Scientific Revolution' in NR 1997 vol 51 pp 1-12
R Higgett, 'President, patron, friend and lover: Charles Montagu's significance to the history of science' in NR 2005 vol 59 pp 155-170 |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/22485966 |
| Code | NA8250 |
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| IM/004126 | Montagu, Charles, 1st Earl of Halifax | nd |
| IM/003142 | Montagu, Charles, 1st Earl of Halifax | nd |
| IM/003143 | Montagu, Charles, 1st Earl of Halifax | 1732 |
| MS/390/136 | Bond of Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, to the Treasurer of the Royal Society | 30 October 1707 |
| IM/003144 | Montagu, Charles, 1st Earl of Halifax | nd |
| EL/N1/61a | Letter, from John Bernoullius to Carolus Moantague, dated at Groningen | 1697 |
| EL/G1/47 | Letter, from Robert Godson to Charles Mountague | 1696 |
| P/0219 | Portrait of Montagu, Charles; 1st Earl of Halifax | 1715 |