Thomas Knox, 2nd Earl of Ranfurly (19 April 1786 – 21 March 1858), styled Viscount Northland between 1831 and 1840, was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician.

Background

Ranfurly was the eldest son of

Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly (5 August 1754 – 26 April 1840), styled The Honourable Thomas Knox between 1781 and 1818 and known as The Viscount Northland between 1818 and 1831, was an Irish peer and politician. Background Ranfurly was the ...

, and the Hon. Diana Jane, daughter of

Edmund Pery, 1st Viscount Pery Edmund Sexton Pery, 1st Viscount Pery (8 April 1719 – 24 February 1806; middle name also spelt ''Sexten'') was an Anglo-Irish politician who served as Speaker of the Irish House of Commons between 1771 and 1785. Early life He was born in Limer ...

. He gained the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some co ...

Viscount Northland when his father was elevated to the earldom of Ranfurly in 1831. He studied at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

Political career

Ranfurly was returned to Parliament as one of two representatives for

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...

in 1812 (succeeding his father), a seat he held until 1818. Between 1818 and 1830 he was the sole representative for Dungannon in Parliament. In 1840 he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

as Baron Ranfurly.

Family

Lord Ranfurly married Mary Juliana, daughter of the Most Reverend William Stuart, Archbishop of Armagh in 1815. Mary Juliana's mother, Sophia Margaret Penn, was the daughter of

Thomas Penn Thomas Penn (8 March 1702 – 21 March 1775) was an English landowner and mercer who was the chief proprietor of Pennsylvania from 1746 to 1775. Penn is best known for his involvement in negotiating the Walking Purchase, a contested land cessi ...

, a son of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

, founder of Pennsylvania. They had four sons and six daughters. He died in March 1858, aged 71, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son,

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

. Lady Ranfurly died in July 1866.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranfurly, Thomas Knox, 2nd Earl of 1786 births 1858 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Knox, Thomas Knox, Thomas Knox, Thomas Knox, Thomas Knox, Thomas UK MPs who inherited peerages Earls of Ranfurly