25 April 1862

Birth of Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, Liberal Foreign Secretary in both the Campbell-Bannerman and Asquith governments

Elected as Liberal MP for Berwick in 1885 at the age of 23, Grey represented the constituency until 1916 when ill health lead to his move to the House of Lords. Grey was the longest serving Foreign Secretary of the 20th Century. He ended the policy of “splendid isolation” by concluding treaties with France and Russia in the decade before World War One. In later life Grey served as Ambassador to the USA 1919-20 and later led the Liberal Party in the House of Lords from 1923 until his resignation the following year. Continued poor health precluded further active engagement in politics, however in 1928 he was elected Chancellor of Oxford University a post he held until his death in 1933.