Thomas George Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield (15 August 1825 – 7 January 1892), known as Viscount Anson from 1831 to 1854, was a British politician from the

Anson family The Anson family is a British aristocratic family. Over time, several members of the Anson family were made knights, baronets and peers. Hereditary titles held by the Anson family include the earldom of Lichfield (since 1831) and the Anson baron ...

Early life

Lichfield was the eldest of four sons and four daughters born to

Thomas Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield Thomas William Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (20 October 1795 – 18 March 1854), known as Viscount Anson from 1818–31, was a British Whig (British political faction), Whig politician from the An ...

, and his wife Louisa Catherine (née Philips). Among his siblings was

Augustus Anson Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Henry Archibald Anson VC (5 March 1835 – 17 November 1877) was a member of the Anson family and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy t ...

, a soldier who received the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, and Adelbert John Robert Anson, a clergyman who served as Bishop of Qu'Apelle in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. His paternal grandparents were

Thomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson Thomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson (14 February 1767 – 31 July 1818) was a British politician and British Peerage, peer from the Anson family. Background and career Thomas Anson was born 14 February 1767, the first son of George Anson (1731� ...

, and his wife Anne Margaret, daughter of Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester. His paternal uncle was Major-General the Hon. George Anson. His maternal grandfather was Nathaniel Philips.thepeerage.com Thomas William Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield
/ref> 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 ...

, in Windsor, England.

Career

On 16 November 1844, aged 19, he was commissioned as the

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 ...

of the Lichfield Troop of the part-time

Staffordshire Yeomanry The Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment) was a mounted auxiliary unit of the British Army raised in 1794 to defend Great Britain from foreign invasion. It continued in service after the Napoleonic Wars, frequently being called out ...

, commanded by his father. He remained with the regiment into the early 1860s. Between 1846 and 1847, Viscount Anson was with the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

. He was returned to Parliament for

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

in 1847, a seat he held until 1854, when he succeeded his father in the earldom and took his seat in the

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 ...

. He also succeeded as the 3rd Baron Soberton and the 4th

Viscount Anson A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is so ...

. From 1863 to 1871, he also served as Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire. His seat was

Shugborough Hall Shugborough Hall is a stately home near Great Haywood, Staffordshire, England. The hall is situated on the edge of Cannock Chase, about east of Stafford and from Rugeley. The estate was owned by the Bishops of Lichfield until the dissol ...

. In 1876, his Staffordshire estates amounted to 21,433 acres.

Personal life

On 10 April 1855, Lord Lichfield married Lady Harriett Georgiana Louisa, 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

Louisa Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn Louisa Jane Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn (née Lady Louisa Jane Russell; 8 July 1812 – 31 March 1905) was a member of the British aristocracy. She and her husband, James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, had 13 children, and were "long remembe ...

(the eldest daughter of

John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (6 July 1766 – 20 October 1839), known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician who notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents. He was the father ...

, by his second wife, Lady Georgiana Gordon, and the sister of Prime Minister

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United K ...

). Together, they were the parents of nine sons and four daughters: * Thomas Francis Anson, 3rd Earl of Lichfield (1856–1918), who married his cousin, Lady Mildred Coke, daughter of

Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester Thomas William Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester (26 December 1822 – 24 January 1909), known as Viscount Coke from 1837 to 1842, was a British peerage, British peer. Background Leicester was the son of Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (seventh ...

. * Hon. Sir George Augustus Anson (1857–1947), who married Blanche Mary Miller in 1884. * Major Hon. Henry James Anson (1858–1904), who married Lady Adelaide Audrey Ryder, daughter of

Henry Ryder, 4th Earl of Harrowby Henry Dudley Ryder, 4th Earl of Harrowby (3 May 1836 – 11 December 1900), was a British hereditary peer. Early life and education Harrowby was the younger son of Dudley Ryder, 2nd Earl of Harrowby and his wife Frances Stuart, fourth daughte ...

, in 1902. * Lady Florence Beatrice Anson (1860–1946), who married Colonel Sir Henry Streatfeild (grandson of

Henrietta Mildred Hodgson Henrietta Mildred Hodgson (6 January 1805 – 19 November 1891) was an English lady with both British royal and American presidential genealogical connections. Life and family Born on 6 January 1805 in London Henrietta Mildred was the daughte ...

) in 1885. * Hon. Frederic William Anson (1862–1917), who married Florence Louisa Jane Lane (sister of Lilian Bromley-Davenport), in 1886. * Hon. Claud Anson (1864–1947), who married Lady Clodagh Beresford, daughter of

John Beresford, 5th Marquess of Waterford John Henry de la Poer Beresford, 5th Marquess of Waterford, (21 May 184423 October 1895), styled Earl of Tyrone from 1859 to 1866, was an Peerage of Ireland, Irish peer and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician. He served as Master o ...

, in 1901. * Lady Beatrice Anson (1865–1919), who married Lt.-Col. Richard Hamilton Rawson in 1890. * Hon. Francis Anson (1867–1928), who married Caroline Cleveland, daughter of George Cleveland, a sheep rancher of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, in 1892. * Lady Mary Maud Anson (1869–1961), who married Hon. Edward Alan Dudley Ryder, son of

, in 1893. * Lady Edith Anson (1870–1932), who married Lionel King, 3rd Earl of Lovelace in 1895. * Hon. William Anson (1872–1926), who was educated at

Monkton Combe School Monkton Combe School is a public school ( fee-charging boarding and day school), in the village of Monkton Combe near Bath in Somerset, England. History Monkton Combe School was founded in 1868 by the Revd. Francis Pocock, a former curate ...

, emigrated to

in 1890 and became a rancher. He was naturalised in 1902 and married actress Louisa van Wagenen in 1917. He died in 1926. * Lady Evelyn Anson (1873–1895), who did not marry. * Hon. Alfred Anson (1876–1944), who in 1912 married Lela (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Alexander) Emery, the mother of

John J. Emery John Josiah Emery Jr. (January 28, 1898 — September 24, 1976) was an American real estate developer including of the Carew Tower (1931) in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the time the tallest building west of the Alleghenies, and the Netherland Plaza Hot ...

and Audrey, Princess Romanovskaya-Ilyinskaya. Lord Lichfield died in January 1892, aged 66, and was buried at St Stephen's Church in

Great Haywood Great Haywood is a village in the civil parish of Colwich, in the Borough of Stafford in the county of Staffordshire, England, just off the A51 and about northwest of Rugeley and southeast of the town of Stafford. Geography Haywood lies ...

.Memorial Inscriptions of Great Haywood, Staffordshire: St Stephen's Churchyard, accessed 1 October 2012
/ref> He was succeeded as Earl of Lichfield by his eldest son Thomas. Lady Lichfield died in 1913.

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lichfield, Thomas Anson, 2nd Earl of 1825 births 1892 deaths People educated at Eton College Staffordshire Yeomanry officers 2nd Earl of Lichfield Lord-lieutenants of Staffordshire Anson, Thomas Anson, Viscount People associated with the Royal National College for the Blind UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs who inherited peerages

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...