Edward James Stanley DL JP (16 December 1826 – 29 September 1907), was a British

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 who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

from 1882 to 1906. Stanley was the son of Edward Stanley, of Cross Hall,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace for that county, and his wife Lady Mary Maitland, daughter of James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

. He was a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace for both

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

and Lancashire and was

High Sheriff of Somerset The office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient shrievalty which has been in existence since the 11th century. Originally known as the "Sheriff of Somerset", the role was retitled on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government ...

in 1880.Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1886
/ref> Stanley was elected Member of Parliament for

Somerset West Somerset West () is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. Organisationally and administratively it is included in the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality (South Africa), metropolitan municipality Eastern Suburbs zone (formerly called ...

at a by-election in 1882 and held the seat until it was reorganised under the

Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 23) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (sometimes called the "Reform Act of 1885"). It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that r ...

. At the 1885 general election he was elected MP for

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sid ...

and held the seat until he retired from the House of Commons in 1906 at the age of 79. Stanley died in September 1907, aged 80. In 1872 Stanley married the Hon. Mary Dorothy Labouchere, daughter of

Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton, PC (; 15 August 179813 July 1869) was a British Whig and Liberal Party politician of the mid-19th century. Background and education Labouchere was born in London into a prominent family, the son of Peter C ...

and heir to the Quantock Lodge estate. His wife survived him by thirteen years and died in March 1920. Stanley's branch of the

Stanley family The Stanley family (or Audley-Stanley family) is an English family with many notable members, including the Earl of Derby, Earls of Derby and the Baron Audley, Barons Audley who descended from the early holders of Audley, Staffordshire, Audley ...

descended from Peter Stanley (d. c. 1686), younger son of Sir Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baronet, whose elder son Sir Edward Stanley, 3rd Baronet, was the ancestor of the branch of the family that have held the earldom of Derby since 1736.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Edward Stanley (1826-1907), Edward Stanley (1826-1907), Edward People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 Deputy lieutenants of Lancashire High sheriffs of Somerset