Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby

Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby KG, styled Lord Stanley from 1776 to 1832 and known as The Lord Stanley from 1832 to 1834, was an English politician, peer, landowner, builder, farmer, art collector, and naturalist. The Derbyan parakeet, Psittacula derbiana, is named after him.

He was the 1st child and only son of Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby and Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton.

On 10 November 1796 he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Lancashire. He was commissioned the colonel of the 1st Battalion of the Lancashire Supplementary Militia on 1 March 1797; this regiment subsequently became the 2nd Regiment Royal Lancashire Militia. He was breveted as a colonel in the regular Army with seniority from that date, retaining the rank until his regiment was disembodied, which occurred at the end of 1799. He resigned his commission as colonel on 13 April 1847.

On 30 June 1798 he married Charlotte Margaret Hornby, daughter of Reverend Geoffrey Hornby, with whom he fathered future Prime Minister Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby.

After receiving his education at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, Lord Stanley was Member of Parliament for Preston and Lancashire from 1796 to 1832, when he was ennobled as Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe, of Bickerstaffe in the County Palatine of Lancaster. In 1834 he succeeded his father as 13th Earl of Derby and withdrew from politics, instead concentrating on his natural history collection at Knowsley Hall, near Liverpool. He had a large collection of living animals: at his death there were 1,272 birds and 345 mammals at Knowsley, shipped to England by explorers such as Joseph Burke.

Lord Derby was also the patron of the writer Edward Lear.

Many of Derby's collections are now housed in Liverpool museum. From 1828 to 1833 he was President of the Linnean Society.

Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby was educated at Eton College, Eton, Berkshire, England.

He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, in 1795 with a Master of Arts (M.A.).

He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) (Whig) for Preston between 1796 and 1812.

He gained the rank of Colonel in 1798.

He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) (Whig) for Lancashire between 1812 and 1832.

He held the office of President of the Linnaean Society between 1828 and 1833.1 He held the office of Vice-Admiral of Lancashire in 1831.

He held the office of President of the Zoological Society in 1831.

He was created 1st Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe, co. Lancaster [U.K.] on 22 December 1832.1 He held the office of Trustee of the British Museum between 1834 and 1851.

He succeeded to the title of 7th Baronet Stanley, of Bickerstaffe, co. Lancs [E., 1627] on 21 October 1834.

He succeeded to the title of 13th Earl of Derby [E., 1485] on 21 October 1834.

He was invested as a Knight, Order of the Garter (K.G.) in 1839.