Archibald Charles Montagu Brabazon Acheson, 5th Earl of Gosford MC KGStJ (26 May 1877 – 20 March 1954), styled Viscount Acheson until 1922, was a British peer.

Early life

Acheson was born in London on 26 May 1877. He was the eldest son of

Archibald Acheson, 4th Earl of Gosford Archibald Brabazon Sparrow Acheson, 4th Earl of Gosford, (19 August 1841 – 11 April 1922) was a British peer. The son of Archibald Acheson, 3rd Earl of Gosford, he was born at Worlingham Hall, Suffolk, in 1841, and educated at Harrow Schoo ...

and Lady Louisa Montagu (1854–1944), a Lady-in-Waiting to

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 t ...

. His paternal grandparents were

Archibald Acheson, 3rd Earl of Gosford Archibald Acheson, 3rd Earl of Gosford Order of St. Patrick, KP (20 August 1806 – 15 June 1864), styled Viscount Acheson between 1807 and 1849, was a British peer and Member of Parliament. Early life Gosford was born on 20 August 1806. He was ...

and the former Lady Theodosia Brabazon (only daughter of

John Brabazon, 10th Earl of Meath John Chambré Brabazon, 10th Earl of Meath KP PC (I) (9 April 1772 – 15 March 1851), was an Anglo-Irish peer. He was the third son of Anthony Brabazon, 8th Earl of Meath, and Grace Leigh. He became Earl of Meath in 1797 after the death of h ...

). His maternal grandparents were

William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester William Drogo Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester KP ( Kimbolton Castle, 15 October 1823 – 22Sometimes appears 21. March 1890), known as Lord Kimbolton from 1823 to 1843 and as Viscount Mandeville from 1843 to 1855, was a British peer and Conserv ...

and the former Countess Louisa von Alten (a daughter of Karl Franz Viktor, Count of Alten). After his grandfather's death in 1890, his grandmother remarried to

Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire, (23 July 183324 March 1908), styled Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1834 and 1858 and Marquess of Hartington between 1858 and 1891, was a British statesman. He has the distinction of having ...

Career

Lord Acheson was commissioned in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

as a second lieutenant on 4 May 1898, and promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 17 August 1899. He served in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

from 1899 to 1900, where he was part of the force sent to relieve Kimberley, during which he was wounded in the Battle of Modder River (November 1899). From 31 March 1900 he served in a staff appointment as aide-de-camp to Sir George Pretyman, who became Military Governor at

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...

later that year, and in December 1901 he was back with his regiment. After the end of the war in South Africa, Lord Acheson resigned from the Army in late October 1902. He was appointed a lieutenant in the

Reserve of Officers The Army Reserve is the active-duty volunteer reserve force of the British Army. It is separate from the Regular Reserve whose members are ex-Regular personnel who retain a statutory liability for service. The Army Reserve was known as the Ter ...

on 3 January 1903, and re-enlisted in the

First world war World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as a lieutenant-colonel in the Coldstream Guards. He was awarded the

Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

and a Military Cross in the King's

1915 Birthday Honours The 1915 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

. In 1918, he served as Assistant Adjutant-General of the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

. Upon the death of his father in 1922, Lord Gosford succeeded to the earldom. In America, where Lord Gosford lived for twenty-five years, he set up a wine shop at 40 East 50 Street in Manhattan. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he joined the New York City Patrol, which assisted the

New York City Police The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

on night duty.

Personal life

On 21 June 1910, then Viscount Acheson was married to Mildred Caroline Carter (1888–1965) at St George's Hanover Square Church. Mildred, as she was known, was the only daughter of American diplomat John Ridgeley Carter (a descendant of

Henry Lee III Henry Lee III (January 29, 1756 – March 25, 1818) was an early American Patriot and U.S. politician who served as the ninth Governor of Virginia and as the Virginia Representative to the United States Congress. Lee's service during the Amer ...

, the 9th

Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

) and Alice ( née Morgan) Carter (sister of William Fellowes Morgan). Together, they were the parents of the following children: *

Archibald Alexander John Stanley Acheson, 6th Earl of Gosford Archibald Alexander John Stanley Acheson, 6th Earl of Gosford, (14 January 1911 – 17 February 1966), styled Viscount Acheson until 1954, was a British peer, politician, and a Royal Air Force officer. Early life Archibald Acheson was the elder ...

(1911–1966), who married Francesca Cagiati, eldest daughter of Francesco Cagiati. They divorced in 1960 and he remarried to Cynthia Margaret Delius, the widow of Maj. James Pringle Delius and daughter of Capt. Henry Cave West MC. * Lady Patricia Acheson (1913–1915), who died in childhood. * Hon. Patrick Bernard Victor Montagu Acheson (1915–2005), who married Judith Gillette, a daughter of Earle P. Gillette. * Lady Mildred Camilla Nichola Acheson (1917–1965), who married Baron Hans Christoph Freiherr Schenk von Stauffenberg in 1937. She later married

Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche-Streithorst Axel Ernst-August Clamor Franz Albrecht Erich Leo Freiherr von dem Bussche-Streithorst (; 24 April 1919 – 26 January 1993) was a German officer during World War II and was a member of the German Resistance. He planned to assassinate Adolf Hit ...

in 1950. * Lady Mary Virginia Shirley Acheson (1919–1996), who married Fernando Corcuera in Mexico in 1941. In 1927, Lord Acheson left his first wife and went to New York City. They divorced in 1928 and while in New York, Lord Gosford married Beatrice (née Claflin) Breese on 1 October 1928. Beatrice, the former wife of Robert Potter Breese of New York, was a daughter of Arthur B. Claflin of 1050 Fifth Avenue in New York City and

Southampton, New York Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stret ...

, and a granddaughter of merchant

Horace Brigham Claflin Horace Brigham Claflin (December 18, 1811 – November 14, 1885) was an American merchant. Early life and education Born in Milford, Massachusetts on December 18, 1811, Horace Brigham Claflin was educated at the Milford Academy. He is a membe ...

. Lord Gosford died in the

Flower and Fifth Avenue Hospital New York Medical College (NYMC or New York Med) is a private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro College and University System. NYMC offers advanced degrees through its three schools: the School o ...

in New York City on 20 March 1954. He was buried at Maple Hill Cemetery in

Shaftsbury, Vermont Shaftsbury is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,598 at the 2020 census. History The town was chartered on August 20, 1761. It was named after the Earl of Shaftesbury. In June 1843, escaped slaves hid at ...

, near his summer home in South Shaftsbury. His first wife Mildred died at her home in Switzerland in September 1965, and his widow, the Dowager Countess of Gosford died on 26 January 1967.

Descendants

Through his daughter, Lady Mary, he was a grandfather of Jaime Corcuera Acheson (born 1955), who married Archduchess Myriam of Austria, a daughter of

Archduke Felix of Austria Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...

and granddaughter of King

Charles I of Austria Charles I or Karl I (german: Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Otto Maria, hu, Károly Ferenc József Lajos Hubert György Ottó Mária; 17 August 18871 April 1922) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary (as Charles IV, ), King of Croatia, ...

, in 1983.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gosford, Archibald Acheson, 5th Earl of Gosford 1877 births 1954 deaths Recipients of the Military Cross Earls of Gosford