George FitzRoy, Earl of Euston (1715–1747) was an English aristocrat and 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 1737 to 1747. He was disowned by his father for his brutal treatment of his wife and tenants.

Early life and education

FitzRoy was born on 24 August 1715, the eldest surviving son of

Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton (25 October 1683 – 6 May 1757) was a British peer and politician. Early life He was the only child and heir of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton (1663–1690) (an illegitimate son of King Charles II ...

and Henrietta Somerset, daughter of

Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester (25 December 1660 – 13 July 1698) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the eldest surviving son of Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort and Mary Capell, and was styled Lord Herbert of Raglan ...

. His father was

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Ki ...

to George I and George II. His brother was

Lord Augustus FitzRoy Lord Augustus FitzRoy (16 October 171624 May 1741) was a British officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the War of the Austrian Succession, and was involved in the capture of the Spanish ship of the line, HMS Princess (1740), ''Princesa'', ...

and

Caroline Stanhope, Countess of Harrington Caroline Stanhope, Countess of Harrington (née Lady Caroline FitzRoy; 8 April 1722 – 26 June 1784) was a British socialite and '' demimondaine''. Through her father, she was a great-granddaughter of Charles II. After being blackballed by th ...

. He attended

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 ...

in 1728.

Marriage

FitzRoy married Lady Dorothy Boyle, the daughter of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork and Dorothy Savile, Countess of Burlington and Countess of Cork, in October 1741. In the biography written in the ''History of the Parliament,'' Lady Boyle was described as "a girl of the softest temper, vast beauty, birth, and fortune." After she died on 2 May 1742, her mother said that Dorothy was relieved of the "extremest misery", that Lady Boyle's husband exacted on her as what is described as "utmost brutality".

Parliament

FitzRoy stood for

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

at a by-election on 15 February 1737 which was declared void. He was then returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for Coventry at a by-election on 12 April 1737. He voted in 1740 for the place bill, siding with the Administration, but his activity was otherwise spotty. He was put up for election in 1747 for Coventry, but died before the election.

Brutality

FitzRoy's father, Charles FitzRoy, was particularly dissatisfied with his brutal behavior. For instance, one of George's tenants, a father of six children, killed himself after he had been pressed to pay more than his rent. The tenant stated that he had already paid the full rent owed, but would be willing to pay extra if that was what was needed, to which George responded by threatening to have the man's family removed from his residence. George had duped his father multiple times, in which he declared that he was sorry for his behavior and vowed to change. His words finally met deaf ears when his father disowned him in August 1743. In autumn 1744, FitzRoy eloped to Italy with a Miss Nevill, a celebrated beauty with a fortune to her name, and promised her marriage, which never materialised.

Death

FitzRoy died without issue on 7 July 1747.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzroy, George, Earl of Euston 1715 births 1747 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of Parliament for Coventry Courtesy earls Heirs apparent who never acceded