Petty-Fitzmaurice, Henry, 1780-1863, formerly Petty, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne

First son of Sir William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, by his second wife, Lady Louisa. Following Cambridge and a Grand Tour, Lord [Fitzmaurice] entered parliament in 1802 and, at the age of twenty six, he joined the Ministry of All the Talents as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lord Fitzmaurice became a leading figure in the opposition following the fall of Grenville’s administration in 1807, and campaigned consistently for liberal reforms, including the international abolition of the slave trade. He succeeded to the Marquessate in 1809 following the death of John Henry Petty, 2nd Marquess of Lansdowne. In May 1827, he entered Canning’s coalition cabinet without a portfolio, becoming Home Secretary in July 1827 and resigning in January 1828. Lord Lansdowne entered the cabinet on a number of further occasions, but declined to lead the government following the resignation of Lord Derby in 1852. In August 1857 he refused the offer of the Dukedom of Kerry. By the time of his death in 1863, Lord Lansdowne had replaced the Duke of Wellington in the role as the Queen’s informal advisor on constitutional and political matters. Lord Lansdowne also maintained Bowood House’s importance as a meeting point for Whig politicians and leading figures in science and letters. His international correspondence also brought news of foreign events. He married Lady Louisa Emma Fox-Strangeways, fifth daughter of Henry Thomas, 2nd Earl of Ilchester on 30 March 1808; his second son, Henry, Lord Shelburne, succeeded him as 4th Marquess of Lansdowne.

Epithet: formerly Petty, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000411.0x0003c0