George Charles Bingham was born on April 16, 1800 in London, England. The eldest son of the 2^nd Earl of Lucan, Lord Bingham was educated at Westminster and was commissioned an Ensign in 1816, he rose to a Lieutenant Colonel by 1826, which he held until 1837 and saw service with the Russians in the Balkans. He was a Member of Parliament from 1826-1830 and succeeded as Earl of Lucan in 1839.

He was appointed Major General in 1851, and applied for a command at the outbreak of the Crimean War and was given a cavalry division, consisting of two brigades, the Heavy Brigade under James Yorke Scarlett and the Light Brigade under his brother-in-law, the Earl of Cardigan. Cardigan and Lucan disdained each other despite their relationships.

In the Battle of Balaclava, Lord Raglan issued two orders through an aide-de-camp, intending to disrupt a Russian withdrawal through an attack by the Light Brigade. Circumstances resulted in a fatal confusion in relaying the final order, and Lucan sent the Light Brigade, followed by two regiments of the Heavy Brigade, toward the stronger, rather than the weaker, Russian positions. The brigade was decimated and Lucan himself was wounded in the leg.

Lucan was recalled to England in 1855 and asked for a court martial, which was refused. His case was discussed in both the House of Lords and the Commons without result. He received no more military employment but was promoted to General in 1865 and Field Marshal in 1887. He died in London on November 10, 1888.