LEEDS, THOMAS OSBORNE, IST DUKE OF (1631— 1712), English statesman, known as earl of Danby, son of Sir Edward Osborne, Bart., of Kiveton, Yorkshire, was born in 1631, and succeeded to the baronetcy and estates in 1647. He was elected M.P. for York in 1665, and two years later, joined Buck ingham in attacking Clarendon. He became successively joint treasurer of the navy with Sir Thomas Lyttelton (1668), com missioner for the State treasury (1669), sole treasurer of the navy (1671), and commissioner for the Admiralty (1673). In 1673 he was created Viscount Osborne in the Scottish peerage, and a privy councillor. After his appointment as lord-treasurer in June, he received an English peerage, and in 1674 was created earl of Danby. He was appointed the same year lord-lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and in 1677 received the Garter.
A keen royalist and partisan of the Established Church, Danby opposed the Indulgence (1673), supported the Test Act, and spoke against the proposal for giving relief to the dissenters. In June 1675 he joined the bishops in advising the king strictly to enforce the laws against the Roman Catholics, their banishment from court and the suppression of conventicles; and a bill intro duced by him increasing the penalties for recusants and priests was only thrown out as being too lenient, because it secured of fenders from the charge of treason. He was foiled in his attempt to introduce a test oath for members of parliament, which de clared resistance to the royal power to be a crime; and proposed other reactionary measures which were rejected.
In foreign affairs, though an enemy to France and Rome, Danby showed better sense. He terminated the war with Holland in became a correspondent of William, and was instrumental in effect ing the marriage of William and Mary in 1677. But, in order to pursue this national policy, he found it necessary to acquiesce in the king's personal policy; although he was not a member of the Cabal ministry, he must have been cognisant of the terms agreed upon by Charles in the Treaty of Dover. In 1676, with Lauder dale, he consented to a treaty between Charles and Louis, en suring agreement on foreign policy, Charles receiving an annual subsidy of L roo,000. In 1678 Charles raised his price, and Danby demanded six million livres (L300,000) for three years. Simul taneously with these proceedings with Louis, Danby secured a bill for raising money for a war against France, for which some preparations were made, a league being concluded with Holland, and troops actually sent there.
Fall of Danby—Danby's fall was ensured when Montagu, disappointed of office, produced in the House of Commons (Dec. 20, 1678), two incriminating letters of Danby's, which were read by the speaker. Both at this time, and during the trial which followed, the fact that in both letters appeared the king's min utes, "I approve of this letter. C.R.," was ignored, thus empha
sizing the constitutional principle that obedience to the sovereign can be no bar to an impeachment. Danby was charged with encroaching on the royal powers by treating of matters of peace and war without the knowledge of the council, with promoting the raising of a standing army on pretence of a war with France, with obstructing the assembly of parliament, with corruption and embezzlement in the treasury. He was found guilty by the Com mons, but while his case was under discussion in the Lords, par liament was dissolved. The hostility of the new parliament forced Danby to resign his treasurership (1679), but he received a royal pardon, and a warrant for a marquessate. Proceedings against him were revived, however, and his banishment voted for by the Lords. This was rejected by the Commons, who passed an act of attainder, and on April 21, Danby was sent to the Tower, where he remained for nearly five years. In May 1681 he was actually indicted for Godfrey's murder on the accusation of Edward Fitz Harris, but was released in 1684 on finding bail for £40,000.
After James's accession, Danby was discharged from his bail, and took his seat in the Lords as leader of the moderate Tory party. Driven into opposition by James's attacks on Protestant ism, he became an agent of William of Orange, and as one of the seven leaders of the Revolution he occupied York in the prince's interest. For his services to William, he was created marquis of Carmarthen (1689) and lord-lieutenant of the three ridings of Yorkshire, but, greatly to his disappointment, he was not rein stated in the lord treasurership owing to his unpopularity with the Whigs. In 169o, however, he regained this post, which he retained till 1695 by bribery of members of parliament and the support of the king and queen. In 1690 he was appointed Mary's chief adviser during William's absence in Ireland, and in 1694 he was created duke of Leeds. In 1695 he was again impeached for receiving a bribe to procure a charter for the East India company, but, owing to insufficient evidence, the proceedings failed. He had for some time lost the real direction of affairs, when, in May 1699, he was compelled to retire from office. He died on July 26, 1712.
See the life, by Sidney Lee, in the Dict. Nat. Biography (1895) ; • also Add. MSS., 26,040-95 (56 vols., containing his papers) ; in the Duke of Leeds MSS. at Hornby Castle, calendared in Hist. MSS. Comm., Rep., pt. vii. pp. 1-43 ; MSS. of Earl of Lindsay and J. Eliot Hodgkin; Add. MSS. 1894-1899, Index and Calendar; Hist. MSS. Comm., iith Rep., pt. ii., House of Lords MSS.