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William Waldegrave Palmer, 2nd earl of Selborne
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William Waldegrave Palmer, 2nd earl of Selborne

British statesman
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Also known as: William Waldegrave Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne, Viscount Wolmer of Blackmoor, Baron Selborne of Selborne
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Quick Facts
Born:
Oct. 17, 1859, London
Died:
Feb. 26, 1942, London (aged 82)

William Waldegrave Palmer, 2nd earl of Selborne (born Oct. 17, 1859, London—died Feb. 26, 1942, London) was the first lord of the Admiralty (1900–05) in Great Britain and high commissioner for South Africa (1905–10). He helped initiate the rebuilding of the fleet into a force strong enough to oppose a greatly expanded German navy in World War I and successfully proposed the formation of the Union of South Africa. A son of the lawyer and statesman Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl of Selborne, he was also a son-in-law of Britain’s prime minister Lord Salisbury, who appointed him first lord of the ...(100 of 216 words)

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