Albert Edward Philip Henry Yorke, 6th Earl of Hardwicke, DL (14 March 1867 – 29 November 1904), styled Viscount Royston between 1873 and 1897, was a British diplomat and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician. His promising career was cut short by his sudden death at aged 37.

Background

Hardwicke was born in 1867 at the British Embassy in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, the only son of Viscount Royston (who succeeded as Earl of Hardwicke in 1873), and Lady Sophia Georgiana Robertina, daughter of Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley. King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

was one of his godfathers.

Diplomatic and political career

Hardwicke was an Honorary

Attaché In diplomacy, an attaché () is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified ac ...

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between 1886 and 1891. He entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

on the death of his father in 1897 and made his maiden speech in February 1898.Hansard Mr Albert Yorke
/ref> He served under

Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903), known as Lord Salisbury, was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United ...

and

Arthur Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (; 25 July 184819 March 1930) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As Foreign Secretary ...

as Under-Secretary of State for India between 1901 and 1902 and again from 1903 until his death, and under Balfour as Under-Secretary of State for War between August 1902 and 1903. He made his last speech in the House of Lords in August 1904, three months before his death. Apart from his career in national politics he was a member of the

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

between 1897 and 1901 and a deputy lieutenant of

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

Personal life

Lord Hardwicke died suddenly of syncope in 1904 at his home, 8 York Terrace, in

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...

. He had been in "delicate" health for some time but his death was unexpected. Aged only 37 and unmarried, he was succeeded in the earldom by his uncle John Manners Yorke.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardwicke, Albert Yorke, 6th Earl Of 1867 births 1904 deaths Deputy lieutenants of Cambridgeshire 6 Members of London County Council Albert People from Paris