George Grenville

George Grenville, British prime minister from 1763 to 1765, appears seated next to a desk full of papers in this 1764 portrait by artist William Hoare. Grenville is notable in American history as the prime minister who passed and then vigorously defended the hated Stamp Act of 1765. Primarily concerned with the national budget, Grenville believed that enforcing customs laws and taxing the colonies should be government priorities.