James Edward Harris, 2nd Earl of Malmesbury (19 August 1778 – 10 September 1841) was a
British peer, styled Viscount FitzHarris from 1800 to 1820.
Early life
Though the son of a great
British statesman,
James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury, and the former Harriet Maria Amyand (1761–1830). Among his siblings were the Rev. Hon. Thomas Alfred Harris, Rector of Hartley, Lady Catherine Harris (wife of Gen. Sir
John Bell), and Lady Frances Harris (wife of Lt.-Gen. Hon. Sir
Galbraith Lowry Cole, second son of
William Cole, 1st Earl of Enniskillen).
His paternal grandparents were
James Harris of Great Durnford (a grandson of
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 2nd Earl of Shaftesbury) and the former Elizabeth Clarke (daughter and, eventual, heiress of John Clarke, of Sandford). His mother was the second daughter of
Sir George Amyand, 1st Baronet and Anna Maria Korteen (a daughter of John Abraham Korteen, of Hamburg, Germany).
Career
Unlike his father, the young James Harris only dabbled in politics. His real interests lay in being a sportsman, and he was known for his meticulous records of what game he had killed and of the local and national British weather.
He built up an extensive collection of stuffed game, which was donated to various museums.
A
précis
Précis () or precis may refer to:
*an abridgement or summary
**Critical précis, a type of written text
** IRAC case brief, in law
* ''Précis'' (album), a 2006 music album
* ''Precis'' (butterfly), a genus of butterflies
*Mitsubishi Precis, a ma ...
writer, Malmesbury served in the
Home Office as private secretary to the
Secretary of State for Home Affairs from July 1801 to July 1802 under
Lord Pelham. He was first returned as a
Member of Parliament for
Helston in 1802, serving until 1804. He was a
Lords Commissioner of the Treasury from May 1804 to February 1806 during the
Second Pitt ministry while he represented
Horsham
Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
as MP. He then was returned for
Heytesbury from 1807 to 1812 and
Wilton from 1816 to 1820.
From March 1807 to August 1807, he served as
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs under
George Canning
George Canning (11 April 17708 August 1827) was a British Tory statesman. He held various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, including two important terms as Foreign Secretary, finally becoming Prime Minister of the Unit ...
(while
The Duke of Portland
William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, (14 April 173830 October 1809) was a British British Whig Party, Whig and then a Tory politician during the late Georgian era. He served as List of Chancellors of the Universit ...
was
Prime Minister), before becoming
Governor of the Isle of Wight, in which role he until his death.
Personal life
On 17 June 1806, he married Harriet Susan Dashwood (1783–1815), a daughter of Theresa Elizabeth March (daughter and co-heiress of John March of
Waresley
Waresley is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Waresley-cum-Tetworth, in Cambridgeshire, England. Waresley lies approximately south of Huntingdon and south-east of the town of St Neots. Waresley is situated within Hunting ...
Park) and Francis Bateman
Dashwood, of
Well Vale, Lincolnshire. Her brother, Francis John Bateman Dashwood, married Georgiana Anne Anderson-Pelham (daughter of
Charles Anderson-Pelham, 1st Baron Yarborough
Charles Anderson-Pelham, 1st Baron Yarborough FRS FSA (3 February 1749 – 22 September 1823) was a British politician.
Early life
Anderson-Pelham was born Charles Anderson in Broughton, Lincolnshire, the eldest son and heir of Francis Anders ...
). Together, they were the parents of three sons:
*
James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of Malmesbury (1807–1889), who married Lady Corisande Emma Bennet, only daughter of
Charles Bennet, 5th Earl of Tankerville in 1830. After her death in 1876, he married Susan Hamiltonm second daughter of John Hamilton, of
Fyne Court, in 1880. After his death, she married Maj.-Gen. Sir
John Charles Ardagh
Major-General Sir John Charles Ardagh (9 August 1840 – 30 September 1907), was an Anglo-Irish officer of the British Army, who served as a military engineer, surveyor, intelligence officer, and colonial administrator.
Biography Early life an ...
.
* Hon.
Edward Alfred John Harris (1808–1888), an Admiral in the Royal Navy who was MP for
Christchurch,
Chargé d'Affaires
A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador ...
and
Consul-General in Denmark, Chargé d'Affaires in Chile,
Minister at Berne,
Minister at The Hague; he married Emma Wylly Chambers, youngest daughter of Capt. Samuel Chambers, in 1841.
* Hon.
Charles Amyand Harris
Charles Amyand Harris (1813–1874) was a priest in the Church of England and Bishop of Gibraltar.
Family
Harris, third son of James Edward Harris, 2nd Earl of Malmesbury, who died 10 September 1841, by Harriet Susan, daughter of Francis Bateman ...
(1813–1874), the
Bishop of Gibraltar and
Archdeacon of Wiltshire; he married the Hon. Katharine Lucia O'Brien, a sister of
Lucius O'Brien, 13th Baron Inchiquin, and youngest daughter of
Sir Edward O'Brien, 4th Baronet, in 1837.
His wife died in 1815 and was buried at Salisbury and later at the Priory Church, Christchurch, Hampshire. Lord Malmesbury died on 10 September 1841.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Malmesbury, James Edward Harris, 2nd Earl of
1778 births
1841 deaths
2
Fitzharris, James Edward Harris, Viscount
Fitzharris, James Edward Harris, Viscount
Fitzharris, James Edward Harris, Viscount
Fitzharris, James Edward Harris, Viscount
Fitzharris, James Edward Harris, Viscount
UK MPs who inherited peerages
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Cornwall