Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst (
1714-
6 August 1794), was the eldest surviving son of the 1st Earl. Educated at
Balliol College, Oxford, he was called to the bar, and became a
K.C in
1745. In April
1735 he had been elected member of parliament for
Cirencester, and was rewarded for his opposition to the government by being made solicitor-general and then attorney-general to
Frederick, Prince of Wales. Resigning his seat in parliament in April
1754 he was made a judge of the court of common pleas in the following month, and became
Lord High Chancellor in January
1771, when he was raised to the peerage as
Baron Apsley. Having become
Earl Bathurst by, his fathers death in September
1775, he resigned his office somewhat unwillingly in July
1778 to enable
Thurlow to join the cabinet of
Lord North. In November
1779 he was appointed
Lord President of the Council, and left office with North in March
1782. He died at Oakley Grove near Cirencester on
6 August 1794. Bathurst was twice married, and left two sons and four daughters. He was a weak Lord Chancellor, but appears to have been just and fair in his distribution of patronage.
{| border="2" align="center"
|-
|width="30%" align="center"|Preceded by:
Allen Bathurst
|width="40%" align="center"|Earl Bathurst
|width="30%" align="center"|Followed by:
Henry Bathurst
|}