Lieutenant-Colonel Henry William Edmund Petty-Fitzmaurice, 6th Marquess of Lansdowne, DSO, MVO (14 January 1872 – 5 March 1936), styled Earl of Kerry until 1927, was a British soldier and politician.

Background

Lansdowne was the son of

Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, (14 January 18453 June 1927), was a British statesman who served successively as Governor General of Canada, Viceroy of India, Secretary of State for War and Secretary of State ...

, and his wife, Maud, daughter of

James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn (21 January 1811 – 31 October 1885), styled Viscount Hamilton from 1814 to 1818 and The Marquess of Abercorn from 1818 to 1868, was a Conservative statesman who twice served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. ...

and Lady Louisa Russell.

Military career

Lord Kerry was originally commissioned into a volunteer battalion of the

Oxfordshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

, but transferred to the regular army as a second lieutenant in the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

on 14 August 1895, and was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 2 March 1898. He served in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

, where he was from 25 January 1900 an extra aide-de-camp to Lord Roberts, the commander in chief of British Forces in South Africa. For his service in the war, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). On the formation of the

Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG) is one of the Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment (1992), Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infant ...

in 1900, he transferred to that regiment while still in South Africa, and was promoted

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 6 October 1900. He resigned in 1906 with the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. He returned to the Army during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Political career

Lansdowne was

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

and later

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 ...

member of parliament (MP) for West Derbyshire from 1908 to 1918. He was a member of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

from 1922 to 1929, to which he was nominated by the executive council. He succeeded his father as Marquess of Lansdowne in 1927, with a seat in the British

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 ...

, meaning that he had the unusual distinction of serving in the national legislatures of two different countries at the same time.

Family

He married Elizabeth Caroline Hope, on 16 February 1904, granddaughter of

George William Hope George William Hope (4 July 1808 – 18 October 1863), was a British Tory politician. He served as Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies under Sir Robert Peel from 1841 to 1846. Background and education Hope was the son of the Honou ...

and

Sir John Leslie, 1st Baronet Sir John Leslie, 1st Baronet, (16 December 1822 – 23 January 1916) was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, landowner and painter. He was Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament for Monaghan (UK Parl ...

. They had five children: *Katherine Evelyn Constance Petty-Fitzmaurice (1912–1995), married 1933

Edward Clive Bigham, 3rd Viscount Mersey Viscount Mersey, of Toxteth in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1916 for the lawyer and politician John Bigham, 1st Baron Mersey. He had already been created Baron Mersey, of ...

(1906–1979) and had issue. She became 12th Baroness of Nairne after inheriting the title and

Derreen House and Gardens Derreen Garden lies on a promontory in Kilmakilloge Harbour on the Beara Peninsula, in Tuosist parish, near Kenmare in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 4th Marquess of Lansdowne, The 4th Marquess of Lansdowne ...

(

Lauragh Lauragh () is a village on the Beara Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland. The townlands of Lauragh Upper and Lauragh Lower contain several ringfort and souterrain sites. There is a stone circle and stone row site, in Cashelkeelty townland, near Laura ...

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

) from her brother Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice in 1944. *Henry Maurice John Petty-Fitzmaurice, Earl of Kerry (1913–1933), died young *

Charles Petty-Fitzmaurice, 7th Marquess of Lansdowne Charles Hope Petty-Fitzmaurice, 7th Marquess of Lansdowne (9 January 1917 – 20 August 1944) was a British nobleman and peer. He was the son of Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 6th Marquess of Lansdowne. He died aged 27, in Italy, killed in action ...

(1917–1944), killed in action in Italy. *Lieutenant Lord Edward Norman Petty-Fitzmaurice (1922–1944), killed in action in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. *Lady Elizabeth Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice (1927–2016), married the late Major Charles William Lambton, grandson of

George Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham George Frederick D'Arcy Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham (5 September 1828 – 27 November 1879), styled Viscount Lambton from 1833 to 1840, was a British peer. Early life Lambton was born on 5 September 1828 at Copse Hill, Wimbledon and was baptise ...

, and had issue. He died in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

, aged 64.

References

External links