George FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1715–1747) was an English aristocrat and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1737 to 1747. He was disowned by his father for his brutal treatment of his wife and tenants.

Early life and education

FitzRoy was born on 24 August 1715, the eldest surviving son of

Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, (25 October 1683 – 6 May 1757) was an Irish and English politician. Early life He was the only child and heir of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton (1663–1690) (an illegitimate son of King Charles I ...

and Henrietta Somerset, daughter of

Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester (25 December 1660 – 13 July 1698) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the eldest surviving son of Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort and Mary Capell, and was styled Lord Herbert of Raglan ...

. His father was

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main cha ...

to George I and George II. His brother was Lord Augustus FitzRoy and

Caroline Stanhope, Countess of Harrington Caroline Stanhope, Countess of Harrington (née Lady Caroline FitzRoy; 8 April 1722 – 26 June 1784) was a British socialite and ''demimondaine''. After being blackballed by the English social group The Female Coterie, she founded The New Fem ...

. He attended

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

in 1728.

Marriage

FitzRoy married Lady Dorothy Boyle, the daughter of

Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork, (25 April 1694 – 4 December 1753) was a British architect and noble often called the "Apollo of the Arts" and the "Architect Earl". The son of the 2nd Earl of Burlington and 3rd Ea ...

and

Dorothy Savile, Countess of Burlington and Countess of Cork Dorothy Boyle, Countess of Burlington and Countess of Cork (née Savile; 13 September 1699 – 21 September 1758) was a British noble and court official, as well as a caricaturist and portrait painter. Several of her studies and paintings were ...

, in October 1741. In the biography written in the ''History of the Parliament,'' Lady Boyle was described as "a girl of the softest temper, vast beauty, birth, and fortune." After she died on 2 May 1742, her mother said that Dorothy was relieved of the "extremest misery", that Lady Boyle's husband exacted on her as what is described as "utmost brutality".

Parliament

FitzRoy stood for

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

at a by-election on 15 February 1737 which was declared void. He was then returned unopposed as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Coventry at a by-election on 12 April 1737. He voted in 1740 for the place bill, siding with the Administration, but his activity was otherwise spotty. He was put up for election in 1747 for Coventry, but died before the election.

Brutality

FitzRoy's father, Charles FitzRoy, was particularly dissatisfied with his brutal behavior. For instance, one of George's tenants, a father of six children, killed himself after he had been pressed to pay more than his rent. The tenant stated that he had already paid the full rent owed, but would be willing to pay extra if that was what was needed, to which George responded by threatening to have the man's family removed from his residence. George had duped his father multiple times, in which he declared that he was sorry for his behavior and vowed to change. His words finally met deaf ears when his father disowned him in August 1743. In autumn 1744, FitzRoy eloped to Italy with a Miss Nevill, a celebrated beauty with a fortune to her name, and promised her marriage, which never materialised.

Death

FitzRoy died without issue on 7 July 1747.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzroy, George, Earl of Euston 1715 births 1747 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of Parliament for Coventry Courtesy earls Heirs apparent who never acceded