Deaths on July 17

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1764)

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, (13 March 1764 – 17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. He was a descendant of the noble House of Grey and a member of the Whig Party.

Grey was a long-time leader of multiple reform movements, and as prime minister, his government was known for bringing about two notable reforms. The Reform Act 1832 brought about parliamentary reform, bringing changes to the House of Commons. His government also enacted the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, bringing about the abolition of slavery in most of the British Empire.

Grey was a strong opponent of the foreign and domestic policies of William Pitt the Younger in the 1790s. In 1807, he resigned as foreign secretary to protest against King George III's uncompromising rejection of Catholic Emancipation. Grey finally resigned in 1834 over disagreements in his cabinet regarding Ireland, and retired from politics. Scholars rank him highly among British prime ministers, believing that he averted much civil strife and enabled Victorian progress.Earl Grey tea is named after him.