Charles Somers Somers-Cocks, 3rd Earl Somers (14 July 1819 – 26 September 1883), styled the Hon. Charles Cocks from 1819 to 1841 and Viscount Eastnor from 1841 to 1852, was a British

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

and then

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician. Somers was the son of

John Somers-Cocks, 2nd Earl Somers John Somers Somers-Cocks, 2nd Earl Somers (19 March 1788 – 5 October 1852), styled Viscount Eastnor between 1821 and 1841, was a British peer and Conservative Party politician. Somers was the second son of John Cocks, 1st Earl Somers; his ...

, and his wife Lady Caroline Harriet, daughter of

Philip Yorke, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke Philip Yorke, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke, KG, PC, FRS (31 May 1757 – 18 November 1834), known as Philip Yorke until 1790, was a British politician. Background and education Born in Cambridge, England, he was the eldest son of Charles Yorke, L ...

. As a Conservative, he was elected to 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. T ...

as the

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 o ...

(MP) for

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earliest archaeological evidence for huma ...

at a by-election in February 1841 (succeeding his father), a seat he held until 1847. In 1852 he succeeded his father in the earldom and took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

. He served as a

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (withou ...

(government whip in the House of Lords) from 1853 to 1855 in Lord Aberdeen's

coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

and from 1855 to 1857 in the Liberal administration of

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 ...

. Lord Somers married Virginia, daughter of James Pattle, in 1850; she was the sister of

Julia Margaret Cameron Julia Margaret Cameron (''née'' Pattle; 11 June 1815 – 26 January 1879) was a British photographer who is considered one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. She is known for her Soft focus, soft-focus close-ups of famous ...

(née Pattle), a well-known Victorian era photographer. Lord Somers and Virginia had three daughters, of whom one, Lady Virginia, died from

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

at an early age. The younger daughter, Lady Adeline Marie, married George Russell, 10th Duke of Bedford,Adeline, Duchess of Bedford - A character study
1 May 1920, The Spectator, retrieved 22 April 2016 while the elder daughter, Lady Isabella Caroline, married

Lord Henry Somerset Lord Henry Richard Charles Somerset, PC, DL, JP (7 December 1849 – 10 October 1932) was a British Conservative politician and composer of popular music. He served as Comptroller of the Household under Benjamin Disraeli between 1874 and ...

. Lord Somers died in September 1883, aged 64, when the earldom and viscountcy of Eastnor became extinct. He was succeeded in his junior title of Baron Somers by his first cousin once removed, Philip Reginald Cocks. The Countess Somers died in 1910.

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * *
History of the Somers-Cocks family

External links

* 1819 births 1883 deaths 3 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 Somers, E3 Liberal Party (UK) hereditary peers {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1810s-stub