Joseph Planta

Who was Joseph Planta?

Sir Joseph Planta GCH was a British diplomat and politician of Romansh-Swiss descent. He was the MP for Hastings, England.

Joseph Planta was the son of another Joseph Planta, who moved from Switzerland to England and who became the Principal Librarian of the British Museum in London. He was born at the British Museum and educated at Eton College.

Planta became a clerk at the Foreign Office and was Private Secretary to George Canning. In 1813–14, he was Secretary to Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, during his mission to the allied sovereigns. He was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 25 July 1817 to 22 January 1822. He was also the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1817. He was the Junior Secretary to the Treasury from 19 April 1827 and then the Senior Secretary to the Treasury from 4 September 1827, during the Canningite Government of 1827–1828 and the Tory Government of 1828–1830. He was made a member of the Privy council in 1834. He was also made a Lord of the Treasury on 21 November 1834 in the Conservative Provisional Government of 1834.