Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton (22 May 1800 – 6 September 1868), was an American-born British politician and peer.

Early life

He was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States, the second son of Alexander Baring and Ann Louisa Bingham, the daughter and coheiress of the wealthy

William Bingham William Bingham (March 8, 1752February 7, 1804) was an American statesman from Philadelphia. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788 and served in the United States Senate from 1795 to 1801. Bingham was o ...

of Blackpoint, Philadelphia, a U.S. senator. He was the younger brother of Bingham Baring. Francis was educated privately and at Geneva and in 1817 joined Baring Brothers, the family bank. After successfully travelling on business to North America and the West Indies he was made a quarter share partner in the bank in 1823. However, after unfortunate financial speculations in Mexican land and in the French sugar market, he was demoted to a non-executive director in 1828 and in 1830 was given his brother's Parliamentary seat for Thetford.

Political career

He was elected at the 1830 general election as a Whig MP for the borough of Thetford in Norfolk, and held the seat until the 1831 election, which he did not contest. He was re-elected in

1832 Events January–March * January 6 – Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison founds the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. * January 13 – The Christmas Rebellion of slaves is brought to an end in Jamaica, after the island's white pla ...

as a

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

, and held the seat as a

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 ...

until the 1841 general election, which he did not contest. He was returned again for Thetford at a by-election in August 1848, and held the seat until his

resignation Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

through appointment as Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds on 30 November 1857. Baring succeeded to the barony in 1864 on the death of his brother, Bingham Baring, becoming the 3rd Baron Ashburton.

Personal life

Under the terms of the

Slave Compensation Act 1837 The Slave Compensation Act 1837 ( 1 & 2 Vict. c. 3) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, signed into law on 23 December 1837. Together with the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ( 3 & 4 Will. 4. c. 73), it authorized the Commissione ...

, Baring received approximately £56,000 in compensation from the British government as he was the mortgagee or assignee on eight different

slave plantation A slave plantation is an agricultural farm that uses enslaved people for labour. The practice was abolished in most places during the 19th century. Slavery Planters embraced the use of slaves mainly because indentured labor became expensive ...

s in

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

. Retrieved 15 September 2021. He married in 1832 Claire Hortense (c. 1812 – 1882), a daughter of Hugues-Bernard Maret, duc de Bassano, and moved to live in Paris. He was the father of Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton, and Marie Anne Louise Baring (wife of William FitzRoy, 6th Duke of Grafton).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashburton, Francis Baring, 3rd Baron 1800 births 1868 deaths British bankers Baring, Francis Baring, Francis Baring, Francis Baring, Francis Baring, Francis Baring, Francis Baring, Francis Baring, Francis Baring, Francis Baring, Francis

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

British people of American descent 3 Younger sons of barons Recipients of payments from the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 19th-century British businesspeople