John Emerich Henry Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 3rd Baron Acton (born Dalberg-Acton; 15 December 1907 – 23 January 1989), was a British peer and soldier.

Early life and education

Acton was born in

Bordighera Bordighera (; lij, A Bordighea, locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, and it is possible to see the French coast with a nak ...

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

, Italy, the eldest son and third of nine children born to Richard Dalberg-Acton, 2nd Baron Acton, a diplomat in the foreign service. His mother was Dorothy Lyon, the only child of Thomas Henry Lyon, DL, of Appleton Hall, Cheshire. The fourth generation of his family abroad, the 2nd Lord Acton and his children officially became British citizens in 1911 by Act of Parliament. The family was living in Germany when 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 ...

broke out. They were temporarily detained in Baden Baden in 1914. In 1915, Lord Acton became

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 ...

Berne german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

. In 1919, his father added the additional surname and arms of Lyon when Lady Acton inherited from her father. His mother died in 1923, when his youngest sister was just 2. He was educated at the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

. He succeeded to the family titles upon the death of his father in 1924. His only brother, Richard William Heribert Peter Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1909–1946), was killed in a plane crash in Gambia in 1946.

Honours

In December 1945, Acton was appointed to the Military Division of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

as a Member. In February 1947, he was appointed to be a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Salop but resigned his commission in November the same year because he stopped living in the county. In the 1964 New Year Honours, Acton was appointed to the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

as a Companion.

Personal life

Acton was a devout Catholic. He was a founder and president of the multiracial National Club in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

Family

He married Daphne Strutt (d. 2003), daughter of The 4th Baron Rayleigh, on 25 November 1931. The couple had eleven children: *Pelline Margot Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 24 December 1932) *Charlotte Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (1934–1935) *Catherine Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 30 December 1939) *

Richard Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 4th Baron Acton Richard Gerald Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 4th Baron Acton, Baron Acton of Bridgnorth (30 July 1941 – 10 October 2010) was a British Labour Party politician and peer. Early life and education The oldest son of John Lyon-Dalberg-Acton and Daphne ...

(30 July 1941 – 10 October 2010) *John Charles Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 26 January 1943 — d. 25 December 2016) *Robert Peter Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 23 June 1946) *Jill Mary Joan Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 15 June 1947) *Professor Edward David Joseph Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 4 February 1949) *Peter Hedley Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 27 March 1950) *Mary Anne Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 30 March 1951) *Jane Lyon-Dalberg-Acton (b. 25 January 1954) He died in

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

, Spain in 1989.''England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966, 1973-1995''

References

1907 births 1989 deaths

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

3 Members of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Deputy Lieutenants of Shropshire People from Bordighera Rhodesian Roman Catholics English Roman Catholics 20th-century Roman Catholics Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Eldest sons of British hereditary barons {{UK-baron-stub