Henry FitzRoy (2 May 1807 – 17 December 1859) was a British politician of the mid-nineteenth century.

Early life

Born into the family of the Dukes of Grafton, he was a great-great-great-great-grandson of King Charles II. He was second son of Lieutenant-General George FitzRoy, 2nd Baron Southampton, by his second wife Frances Isabella, daughter of Lord Robert Seymour. Charles FitzRoy, 3rd Baron Southampton, was his elder brother.thepeerage.com Rt. Hon. Henry FitzRoy
/ref> His grandparents were Charles FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton and Anne Warren, daughter and co-heir of Adml. Sir Peter Warren and a descendant of the

Schuyler family The Schuyler family ( /ˈskaɪlər/; Dutch pronunciation: xœylər was a prominent Dutch family in New York and New Jersey in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose descendants played a critical role in the formation of the United States (especiall ...

, the Van Cortlandt family, and the Delancey family, all from

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English overseas possessions, English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland (island), Newfound ...

Career

FitzRoy was returned to Parliament for Great Grimsby in 1831, a seat he held until 1832, and later represented

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre ...

between 1837 and 1841 and between 1842 and 1859. He was appointed

Civil Lord of the Admiralty The Civil Lord of the Admiralty formally known as the Office of the Civil Lord of Admiralty also referred to as the Department of the Civil Lord of the Admiralty was a member of the Board of Admiralty who was responsible for managing the Royal ...

from 1845 to 1846. He served under the

Earl of Aberdeen Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant " chieftain", partic ...

Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department This article lists past and present Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State serving the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom at the Home Office. Non-permanent and parliamentary under-secretaries, 1782–present *April 1782: Evan Nepean *April ...

between 1852 and 1855 and under

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...

First Commissioner of Works The First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings was a position within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and subsequent to 1922, within the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irel ...

between June and December 1859. In 1855 he was sworn of the Privy Council.

Family

FitzRoy married Hannah, daughter of

Nathan Mayer Rothschild Nathan Mayer Rothschild (16 September 1777 – 28 July 1836) was an English-German banker, businessman and financier. Born in Frankfurt am Main in Germany, he was the third of the five sons of Gutle (Schnapper) and Mayer Amschel Rothschild, a ...

, in 1839. They had two children, Arthur Frederic FitzRoy (1842–1858), and Caroline Blanche Elizabeth FitzRoy, who married the artist Sir Coutts Lindsay, Bt. Hannah died on 2 December 1864, aged 49.

Death

FitzRoy died on 17 December 1859 and is buried at

City of Westminster Cemetery, Hanwell City of Westminster (Hanwell) Cemetery is a cemetery located in Hanwell, Ealing, west London. It is owned and managed by the City of Westminster's Parks Service. History By the 1840s, the cemeteries of London were full and almost overflowing. ...

along with his wife.

Legacy

Fitzroy Memorial Library Fitzroy House is a Victorian building on the High Street in Lewes, East Sussex, England. It was originally Fitzroy Memorial Library, designed by architect George Gilbert Scott in neo-Gothic style and built in 1862. In 1897 it became Lewes' first ...

was built in 1862 in memory of FitzRoy, by his wife. In 1897 it was adopted by the town of Lewes as the first public library and remained so until 1956.

References and sources

;References ;Sources *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:FitzRoy, Henry 1807 births 1859 deaths Younger sons of barons Lords of the Admiralty UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 Henry Schuyler family English people of Dutch descent Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Great Grimsby Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom