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Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who served twice as prime minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. He was in government office almost continuously from 1807 until his death in 1865, beginning his parliamentary career as a Tory and concluding it as a Liberal.
He is best remembered for his direction of British foreign policy through a period when the United Kingdom was at the height of its power, serving terms as both foreign secretary and prime minister. Some of his aggressive actions, now sometimes termed liberal interventionist, were greatly controversial at the time, and remain so today.
Henry Temple Palmerston in Southern Victory[]
Henry Temple Palmerston was prime minister of the United Kingdom at the time of the War of Secession. Though he was an opponent of slavery, Palmerston was deeply hostile to the United States and was eager to see it embarrassed and weakened by defeat. Following the fall of Philadelphia to the Army of Northern Virginia in the fall of 1862, Palmerston instructed his foreign secretary, John Russell, to extend diplomatic recognition to the Confederate States and to "offer" to mediate a peace between the US and CS. Had President Abraham Lincoln refused his "generous" offer, Palmerston would have dispatched the Royal Navy to assist the C.S. Navy in lifting the U.S. Navy's blockade of its ports. Recognizing the threat, Lincoln agreed to Palmerston's offered mediation, granting the CS diplomatic recognition in the process.[1]
References[]
- ↑ American Front, pgs. 4-5.
Political offices (OTL) | ||
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Preceded by George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen |
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1855-1858 |
Succeeded by Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby |
Preceded by Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby |
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1859-1865 |
Succeeded by John Russell, 1st Earl Russell |
Political offices (Southern Victory) | ||
Preceded by Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby |
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1859-186? |
Succeeded by Unknown, next known is Winston Churchill |
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