Sir Thomas Villiers Lister (7 May 1832 – 26 February 1902) from the

Villiers family Villiers ( ) is an aristocratic family in the United Kingdom. Over time, various members of the Villiers family were made knights, baronets, and peers. Peerages held by the Villiers family include the dukedoms of Buckingham (1623–1687) and Cleve ...

was a British diplomat and the Assistant Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, 1873-94.

Early life

Thomas Villiers Lister was the son of

Thomas Henry Lister Thomas Henry Lister (1800 – 5 June 1842) was an English novelist and biographer, and served as Registrar General in the British civil service. He was an early exponent of the silver fork novel as a genre and also presaged "futuristic" writing ...

, Armitage Park, Staffordshire and Lady Maria Theresa Villiers. Lister was educated at Harrow ( Matric. Michs. 1850) and was admitted pensioner at

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

, on 19 October 1849. He graduated M.A. in 1853.

Career

Lister entered the Foreign Office in 1853 and became Private Secretary to the

Earl of Clarendon Earl of Clarendon is a title that has been created twice in British history, in 1661 and 1776. The family seat is Holywell House, near Swanmore, Hampshire. First creation of the title The title was created for the first time in the Peera ...

and précis writer to

Lord John Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known by his courtesy title Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and a ...

. 1n 1853 he was attached to Lord John Russell's mission to Vienna. Two years later he was attached to the Earl of Clarendon's mission to Paris, and in 1861 to

Earl Granville Earl Granville is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is now held by members of the Leveson-Gower family. First creation The first creation came in the Pee ...

's special embassy to Prussia. From 1873 to 1894 he was the Assistant Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

Honours

* 1856 Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

* 1885 Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)

Personal life

In 1862, Lister married Fanny Harriet Coryton, daughter of William Coryton of Pentillie Castle, Cornwall, and Harriet Sophia Parker (later Dowager Countess of Morley). They had seven children: * Katherine Lister * Constance Mary Lister * George Coryton Lister * Maria Theresa Lister * Leonard Coryton Lister * Edmund Algernon Coryton Lister * Harry Coryton Lister Fanny died in 1875. A memorial window was placed in the church of St. Mary, Plympton, Devon, by Fanny's mother and half-brother, Albert Edmund Parker. In 1877 Lister married his second wife Florence Selina Hamilton, daughter of William John Hamilton and Hon. Margaret Frances Florence Dillon. They had five children: * Mary Florence Lister * Christine Sibyl Lister * Margaret Evelyn Lister * Frederick Hamilton Lister * Algernon Hamilton Lister

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lister, Thomas Villiers 1832 births 1902 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Deputy Lieutenants of Edinburgh Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George

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 ...