Nov. 10, 1683, Herrenhausen Palace, Hanover—d. Oct. 25, 1760, Lon¬ don, Eng.) King of Great Britain and elector of Hanover (1727-60). His father, the elector of Hanover, became George I of England; he succeeded him in both roles in 1727. He retained Robert Walpole as his key minister until 1742. His new minister, John Carteret (1690-1763), brought England into the War of the Austrian Succession, where George fought coura¬ geously at the Battle of Dettingen (1743), the last time a British king appeared on the battlefield. The parliament and ministers forced Carter¬ et’s resignation and the appointment of William Pitt. George lost interest in politics, and Pitt’s strategy brought about a British victory in the Seven Years' War.
George II Greek Georgios (b. July 20, 1890, Tatoi, near Athens, Greece—d. April 1, 1947, Athens) King of Greece (1922-24, 1935-47). He became king when his father, Constantine I, was deposed in 1922, but the royal family was unpopular and George fled Greece in 1923. The National Assembly proclaimed Greece a republic in 1924. George remained in exile until the conservative Populist Party, with army sup¬ port, gained control of the legislature and restored the monarchy in 1935. Ioannis Metaxas seized power in 1936 with the king’s support. George was forced into exile in 1941 in World War II; republican sentiment threat¬ ened his throne, but he was restored by a plebiscite and returned to Greece in 1946.
George III orig. George William Frederick (b. June 4, 1738, London, Eng.—d. Jan. 29, 1820, Windsor Castle, near London) King of Great Britain and Ireland (1760-1820); also elector (1760-1814) and king (1814-20) of Hanover. The grandson of George II, he ascended the throne during the Seven Years' War. His chief minister, Lord Bute, forced Wil-
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George IV ► Georgetown University I 751
liam Pitt’s resignation and caused intrigue rather than stability within the government. Bute resigned in 1763, but George’s political overtures to others were snubbed, until Lord North became prime minister in 1770. England was in financial distress caused by the war, and George supported attempts to raise funds through taxation of the American colonies, which led to the American Revolution. With North, he was blamed for prolong¬ ing the war and losing the colonies. He reasserted his power when North and Charles James Fox planned to take control of the East India Company; he forced them to resign and reaffirmed his control through a new “patri¬ otic” prime minister, William Pitt, the Younger. George supported him until the war with Revolutionary France (1793) and fears of related uprisings in Ireland caused Pitt to propose political emancipation of the Roman Catholics. George’s vehement opposition led to Pitt’s resignation in 1801. In 1811 George’s ill health and a return of the madness that had afflicted him for short periods earlier in his life caused Parliament to enact the regency of his son, the future George IV.
George IV orig. George Augustus Frederick (b. Aug. 12, 1762, London, Eng.—d. June 26, 1830, Windsor, Berkshire) King of the United Kingdom (1820-30) and king of Hanover (1820-30). The son of George III, he earned his father’s ill will by his extravagances and dissolute hab¬ its, contracting a secret marriage that was annulled by his father. In 1811 George became regent for his father, who had been declared insane. Retaining his father’s ministers rather than appointing his Whig friends, he saw Britain and its allies triumph over Napoleon in 1815. A patron of the architect John Nash, he sponsored the restoration of Windsor Castle.
George V orig. George Frederick Ernest Albert (b. June 3, 1865, London, Eng.—d. Jan. 20,
1936, Sandringham, Norfolk) King of the United Kingdom (1910-36).
The second son of the future Edward VII, he succeeded his father in 1910.
Early in his reign, he faced problems resulting from the constitutional struggle to restrict the power of the House of Lords. Respect for the new king increased during World War I, and he visited the front in France several times. After the war he faced both serious industrial unrest and, in 1923, the resignation as prime min¬ ister of Andrew Bonar Law, who was replaced by Stanley Baldwin. After the collapse of the pound sterling and the subsequent financial crisis in 1931, he persuaded James Ramsay MacDonald to remain in office and form a national coalition government. He was succeeded successively by his sons Edward VIII and George VI.
George VI orig. Albert Frederick Arthur George (b. Dec. 14, 1895, Sandringham, Norfolk,
Eng.—d. Feb. 6, 1952, Sandring¬ ham) King of the United Kingdom (1936-52). The second son of George V, he was proclaimed king following the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII. He was an important symbolic leader of the British people during World War II, supporting the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill and visiting his armies on several battlefronts. In 1949 he was formally recognized as head of the Commonwealth by its member states. He earned the respect of his people by scrupulously observing the responsibilities of a constitutional monarch and by over¬ coming the handicap of a severe stammer. He was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth II.
George, David Lloyd See David Lloyd George
George, Henry (b. Sept. 2, 1839, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.—d. Oct. 29, 1897, New York, N.Y.) U.S. land reformer and economist. He left school before age 14 to work as a clerk and then at sea. In 1858 George went to California, where he worked for newspapers (briefly founding his own) and took part in Democratic party politics. In 1879 he published Progress and Poverty, in which he proposed that the state fully tax all economic rent—the income from the use of the bare land, but not from improvements—and abolish all other taxes. George believed that the gov¬ ernment’s annual income from this “single tax” would be so large that there would be a surplus for expansion of public works.
George, Lake Lake, northeastern New York, U.S. It is 32 mi (51 km) long and 1-4 mi (1.6-6.4 km) wide and is connected to Lake Champlain through a series of waterfalls. In the foothills of the Adirondacks, it is noted for its scenic beauty and is a popular resort area. Memorialized in James Fenimore Cooper’s novels as Lake Horicon, the real lake was the scene of numerous battles during the French and Indian War and the American Revo¬ lution. Fort Ticonderoga is located on the falls at the lake’s outlet.
George, Saint (fl. 3rd century—d. traditionally Lydda, Palestine; feast day April 23) Early Christian martyr and patron saint of England. His his¬ torical existence is uncertain, but from the 6th century he was the subject of legends as a warrior-saint. He was said to have rescued a Libyan king’s daughter from a dragon, which he killed in return for a promise that the king’s subjects would be baptized. In art, the young saint often wears knight’s armor ornamented with a scarlet cross. He probably became England’s patron saint in the 14th century, when Edward III made him patron of the Order of the Garter.
George \ga-'6r-go\, Stefan (b. July 12, 1868, Budesheim, near Bin¬ gen, Hesse—d. Dec. 4, 1933, Minusio, near Locarno, Switz.) German poet. George traveled widely, becoming associated with Stephane Mallarme and the Symbolist movement in Paris and the Pre-Raphaelites in London. Returning to Germany, he edited the journal Blatter fur die Kunst (1892— 1919) and became the centre of the “George Circle,” gathering young poets around him in a close-knit aesthetic band. His collections include Hymnen (1890), Das Jahr der Seele (1897), Der siebente Ring (1907), and Der Stern des Bundes (1914). A supporter of “pure poetry,” he opposed not only the debasement of the language but also materialism and naturalism. Though politically conservative, he turned down Nazi offers of money and honours, preferring exile. His collected works include translations of Dante and William Shakespeare (the sonnets) as well as prose sketches.