Edward FitzGerald, 7th Duke of Leinster, etc. (6 May 1892 – 8 March 1976), known as Lord Edward FitzGerald before 1922, was
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
's Premier
Peer of the Realm
A peer of the realm is a member of the highest aristocratic social order outside the ruling dynasty of the kingdom.
Notable examples are:
* a member of the peerages in the United Kingdom, who is a hereditary peer or a life peer
* a member of the ...
.
Life
Leinster was the youngest of the three sons born to
Gerald, 5th Duke of Leinster, and his wife, the former Lady Hermione Duncombe.
He served in
World War I
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 ...
, including taking part in the
Gallipoli campaign.
He inherited the Dukedom in February 1922, upon the death of his eldest brother,
Maurice FitzGerald, 6th Duke of Leinster
Maurice FitzGerald, 6th Duke of Leinster (1 March 1887 – 4 February 1922), was the eldest son of the 5th Duke of Leinster and his wife, the former Lady Hermione Wilhelmina Duncombe, a daughter of The 1st Earl of Feversham.
Biography
Born ...
, who never married and was confined to a mental institution at the time of his deat
An
problem gambling, addicted gambler, Leinster enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle, including motor racing. He had already signed away his possible
reversionary rights to the family's ancestral seat,
Carton House
Carton House is a country house and surrounding demesne that was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster for over 700 years. Located 23 km west of Dublin, in Maynooth, County Kildare, the Carton Demesne is a 1,1 ...
, near
Maynooth
Maynooth (; ga, Maigh Nuad) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick's ...
in
County Kildare
County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...
, not expecting that he would inherit the property and the title. He chose to live in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and his estates remained in the possession of the beneficiary,
Sir Harry Mallaby-Deeley, 1st Baronet
Sir Harry Deeley Mallaby-Deeley, 1st Baronet (27 October 1863, London – 4 February 1937, Cannes) was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician.
Harry Deeley was educated at Shrewsbury School and Trinity College, Cambridge ...
, during the Duke's lifetime.
In 1936, Leinster testified at a bankruptcy hearing that he had travelled to the United States in 1928 in order to find an heiress to marry and that during his trip he "entertained lavishly on borrowed money in efforts to find an American wife who would pay off his debts".
["Heiress Hunt Is Told by Duke of Leinster", ''The New York Times'', 15 October 1936] Two heiresses appeared to be interested but both eventually declined to become Duchess of Leinster.
Unable to repay his debts, the duke spent the final years of his life living in a small
bedsit
A bedsit, bedsitter, or bed-sitting room is a form of accommodation common in some parts of the United Kingdom which consists of a single room per occupant with all occupants typically sharing a bathroom. Bedsits are included in a legal category ...
in
Pimlico
Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by London V ...
. He died by suicide in 1976 by taking an
overdose
A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. of
pentobarbital
Pentobarbital (previously known as pentobarbitone in Britain and Australia) is a short-acting barbiturate typically used as a sedative, a preanesthetic, and to control convulsions in emergencies. It can also be used for short-term treatment of ...
.
Personal life
The Duke of Leinster married four times, his wives being:
#The first wife was May Juanita Etheridg
(4 August 1892 – 11 February 1935), a
chorus girl
A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed.
Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms s ...
and
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...
on the
London Stage
West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...
nicknamed the "Pink Pajama Girl", whom he married, in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, on 12 June 1913. She was daughter of Jesse Edward Etheridge, a
salesman
Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale.
The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in r ...
, buried at
Bishop's Cleeve
Bishop's Cleeve is a large village and civil parish in the Borough of Tewkesbury in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham. The village lies at the foot of Cleeve Hill, the highest point in the Cotswolds. Bishop's Cleev ...
,
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, and son of a George Etheridge and wife ..., and his wife, the former Theresa Grace Harriett Ann Summerell. They separated in 1922, whereupon the duke paid his estranged wife approximately $50 a week, "on condition that she live in retirement and make no effort to communicate with her son".
["Divorced Duchess Dies in Bungalow", ''The New York Times'', 13 February 1935] The duke sued the duchess for divorce in 1926, citing a George Frederick Newell as co-respondent. The couple finally divorced in 1930, with Stanley Williams, "a young chef", being named as co-respondent.
After the end of her marriage, the duchess took the name May Murray by
deed poll
A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract because it binds only one party (law), party.
Et ...
br>
In 1935 she committed suicide by an overdose of sleeping draught. The Leinsters had one child, a son,
#*
Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Duke of Leinster
Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Duke of Leinster (27 May 1914 – 3 December 2004) was the premier Duke, Marquess and Earl in the Peerage of Ireland.
Early life
Gerald FitzGerald was the only child of Edward FitzGerald, 7th Duke of Leinster, and his f ...
(27 May 1914 – 3 December 2004)
#The second wife was (Agnes) Raffaelle Van Neck (14 December 1902 – 28 December 1993, London), an American socialite, who was the former wife of Clare Van Neck and the only child of Robert Davidson Kennedy and his first wife, the former May Nuttin
The Duke and Mrs Van Neck married in London on 1 December 1932; they divorced in 1946, after some years of living in Scotland, the duke saying, "She said she could not live with black-faced sheep and lochs, and I saw a certain amount of truth in that".
#The third wife was Jessie Wessel, a former actress and music-hall performer, known professionally as
Denise Orme
Jessie Smither, Duchess of Leinster (25 August 1885 – 20 October 1960),Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 2, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd (2003), p. 2300 known by her stage name Denise Orme, was ...
(1884-1960). She was the maternal grandmother of Prince
Aga Khan IV
Shāh Karim al-Husayni (born 13 December 1936), known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV, is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis, a denomination within Shia Islam. He ha ...
. Born Jessie Smither, daughter of a common bartender named Alfred Smither, she had become a music-hall performer and then married and divorced firstly Danish diplomat Theodor William Wessel, and secondly
The 3rd Baron Churston; Leinster became her third husband on 11 March 1946. By this marriage, the duke acquired seven stepchildren, including
Joan Yarde-Buller
{{Infobox noble, type
, name = Joan Yarde-Buller
, title = Viscountess CamrosePrincess Tajuddawlah Aga Khan The Hon. Mrs. Guinness
, image = Joan Yarde-Buller.jpg
, caption =
, alt ...
, known at that time (1936–49) as Princess Taj-ud-dawlah, mother of Prince
Aga Khan IV
Shāh Karim al-Husayni (born 13 December 1936), known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV, is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis, a denomination within Shia Islam. He ha ...
(born 1936).
#The fourth wife was Vivien Irene Conner, a waitress (19 February 1920 –
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
,
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
, 1992), the former wife of George William Conner and a daughter of Thomas Felton.
[Suzy Knickerbocker, "Duke and Duchesses and Their Bankruptcies", ''St. Petersburg Times'', 1 January 1968] She and the duke married in 1965. By this marriage, the duke had a stepson, Tony Conner.
The duke had an illegitimate son by Yvonne Denison Percy Probyn (later known as Yvonne FitzGerald), daughter of Col. J. Percy Probyn:
*Adrian Dighton Desmond FitzGerald (born 1952), who wed twice. His wives and children were:
**Colleen Theresa Cross, married 1972, divorced 1975. They had one child,
***Kirsty FitzGerald (born 1973), wife of Andrew Keetch
**Linda Jane Harris Clark, married 1982, divorced 1992
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leinster, Edward Fitzgerald, 7th Duke Of
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
1892 births
1976 deaths
Drug-related suicides in England
Barbiturates-related deaths
Irish politicians who committed suicide
Dukes of Leinster (1766)