Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington (5 April 1846 – 8 June 1900) was a British peer and Conservative Party politician.

Early life

He was a son of

Lord Charles Wellesley Major General Lord Charles Wellesley (16 January 1808 – 9 October 1858) was an Anglo-Irish soldier, Conservative politician, and courtier from the aristocratic Wellesley family. He was the younger son of Prime Minister Arthur Wellesley, 1st Du ...

and grandson of the

1st Duke of Wellington Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during the late 18th and early 19th cent ...

. He was born with no title but inherited the dukedom when in 1884 his uncle died childless. Between 1859 and 1865 he attended

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

Career

He joined the 2nd Battalion,

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 ...

as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

on 16 May 1865, was promoted to major on 1 July 1881, and retired from the service on 28 June 1882. He unsuccessfully contested the

Parliamentary constituency An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andov ...

in 1868. He won the seat in 1874 and held it until the next election, 1880. He succeeded his uncle as

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

on 13 August 1884. Subsequently, his sisters Victoria and Mary were granted the rank of daughters of a Duke. He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Hampshire Militia Artillery on 22 November 1884, and the 6th West York Militia on 10 April 1886. He held both honours until his death. He was special ambassador to Spain for the funeral of

Alfonso XII Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo de Borbón y Borbón; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as ''El Pacificador'' (Spanish: the Peacemaker), was King of Spain from 29 D ...

in 1885, and chairman of the

Society for the Suppression of Mendicity The Society for the Suppression of Mendicity was a British charitable organisation, established as a joint-stock company in 1818 and operating until 1959. It aimed to deal with a supposed problem of begging in the streets of London, and begging by ...

Personal life

On 7 March 1882, Wellesley married Evelyn Katrine Gwenfra Williams (1855–1939), a daughter of

Thomas Peers Williams Thomas Peers Williams (27 March 1795 – 8 September 1875) was a British politician, military officer and landowner who was a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member of Parliament for Great Marlow (UK Parliament constituency), Great Marlow ...

, MP for Great Harlow, and sister of Owen Williams, MP, Hwfa Williams, and Edith Peers-William (wife of the 7th Earl of Aylesford) among others. Wellington died at the family home of Strathfield Saye in 1900 and was buried there. As Evelyn and Henry had no issue, he was succeeded by his brother, Arthur Charles. His widow, who remarried to a Wellesley cousin Hon. Frederick Arthur Wellesley (son of

Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley Henry Richard Charles Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley (17 June 1804 – 15 July 1884), known as The Lord Cowley between 1847 and 1857, was a British diplomat. He served as British Ambassador to France between 1852 and 1867. Background and educat ...

), died on 11 March 1939.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, page 936.

In popular culture

In her memoirs,

Lady Angela Forbes Lady Angela Selina Bianca Forbes (née St Clair-Erskine; 11 June 1876 – 22 October 1950) was a British socialite and novelist who was known as a forces sweetheart for organising soldiers' canteens in France during the First World War. She rev ...

comments that "The Duke was the fattest man I have ever seen, and went by the nickname of "Spurgeon".Lady Angela Forbes, ''Memories and Base Details'' (1921), p. 96

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wellington, Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of 1846 births 1900 deaths

Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington (5 April 1846 – 8 June 1900) was a British peer and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician. Early life He was a son of Lord Charles Wellesley and grandson of the Arthur Wellesley, 1st D ...

Dukes of Ciudad Rodrigo Dukes of Wellington Dukes da Vitória Wellesley, Henry People educated at Eton College Grenadier Guards officers Hampshire and Isle of Wight Militia officers Princes of Waterloo Wellesley, Henry 3 Wellesley, Henry UK MPs who inherited peerages Earls of Mornington