Gen. William Petty-Fitzmaurice, M.P., 1st Marquis of Lansdowne

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Petty,_2nd_Earl_of_Shelburne

William Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC (2 May 1737 – 7 May 1805), known as The Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Irish-born British Whig statesman who was the first Home Secretary in 1782 and then Prime Minister 1782–1783 during the final months of the American War of Independence.

In 1782 he consented to take office of Prime Minister under Lord Rockingham on condition that the King would recognise the United States. On the death of Lord Rockingham in the same year he became Prime Minister; but the secession of Fox and his supporters led to the famous coalition of Fox with Lord North, which caused his resignation in the following April, his fall being perhaps hastened by his plans for the reform of the public service. He had also in contemplation a Bill to promote free commercial intercourse between Britain and the United States. When Pitt acceded to office in 1784, Shelburne, instead of receiving a place in the Cabinet, was created Marquess of Lansdowne. Though giving a general support to the policy of Pitt, he from this time ceased to take an active part in public affairs.

General William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne1 M, #38421, b. 2 May 1737, d. 7 May 1805 Last Edited=30 Jul 2011 Consanguinity Index=7.94% General William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne by Jean Laurent Mosnier, 1791 2

    General William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne was born on 2 May 1737 at Dublin, County Dublin, IrelandG.3 He was the son of John Petty, 1st Earl of Shelburne and Mary FitzMaurice.1,4 He was baptised on 13 May 1737.3 He married, firstly, Lady Sophia Carteret, daughter of John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville and Lady Sophia Fermor, on 3 February 1765 at Chapel Royal, St. James's, London, EnglandG.5 He married, secondly, Lady Louisa FitzPatrick, daughter of John FitzPatrick, 1st Earl of Upper Ossory and Lady Evelyn Leveson-Gower, on 19 July 1779 at St. George's Church, Bloomsbury, London, EnglandG.5 He died on 7 May 1805 at age 68 at Berkeley Square, London, EnglandG.6 He was buried at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, EnglandG.6

    He was given the name of William FitzMaurice at birth.7 In 1751 his name was legally changed to William Petty.7 He was styled as Viscount FitzMaurice between 1753 and 1761.3 He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire, EnglandG, on 11 March 1755.3 He fought in the expedition to Rochefort in 1757.3 He was commissioned in 1757, in the service of the British Army.3 He fought in the Battle of Minden on 1 August 1759, where he distinguished himself under Lord Granby.3 He gained the rank of Colonel in 1760.3 He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Chipping Wycombe between 1760 and 1761.3 He held the office of Aide-de-Camp to the King between 1760 and 1763.3 He fought in the Battle of Kloster Kampen on 16 October 1760.3 He succeeded as the 2nd Baron Dunkeron [I., 1751] on 14 May 1761.7 He succeeded as the 2nd Earl of Shelburne, co. Wexford [I., 1753] on 14 May 1761.7 He succeeded as the 2nd Lord Wycombe, Baron of Chepping Wycombe, co. Bucks [G.B., 1760] on 14 May 1761.4 He succeeded as the 2nd Viscount FitzMaurice [I., 1751] on 14 May 1761.7 He held the office of First Lord of Trade between April 1763 and December 1763.5 He became a Privy Counsellor (P.C.) on 20 April 1763.5 He gained the rank of Major-General in 1765.3 He held the office of Secretary of State for the South between July 1766 and October 1768.5 He gained the rank of Lieutenant-General in 1772.3 He held the office of Foreign Secretary between March 1782 and July 1782.5 He became a Knight, Order of the Garter (K.G.) on 19 April 1782.5 He held the office of Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury between 13 July 1782 and 5 April 1783.5 He gained the rank of General in 1783.3 He succeeded as the 1st Earl Wycombe of Chepping Wycombe [Great Britain] on 6 December 1784.4 He was created 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, co. Somerset [Great Britain] on 6 December 1784.4 He was created 1st Viscount Calne and Calston, co. Wilts [Great Britain] on 6 December 1784.4 He became a Fellow, Society of Antiquaries (F.S.A.) on 22 March 1798.5 Child of General William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne and Lady Sophia Carteret

   John Henry Petty, 2nd Marquess of Lansdowne8 b. 6 Dec 1765, d. 15 Nov 1809

Children of General William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne and Lady Louisa FitzPatrick

   Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne+ b. 2 Jul 1780, d. 31 Jan 1863

   Louisa FitzMaurice9 b. b 1789

Citations

   [S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume VII, page 216. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.

   [S3409] Caroline Maubois, "re: Penancoet Family," e-mail message to Darryl Roger Lundy, 2 December 2008. Hereinafter cited as "re: Penancoet Family."

   [S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume VII, page 436.

   [S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume XI, page 671.

   [S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume VII, page 437.

   [S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume VII, page 438.

   [S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume XI, page 670.

   [S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume VII, page 439.

   [S37] BP2003 volume 2, page 2239. See link for full details for this source. Hereinafter cited as. [S37]

Source: http://www.thepeerage.com/p3843.htm#i38421

William Petty-Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquis of Lansdowne

Born 2 May 1737 in Dublin, Ireland. Baptized 13 May 1737. Died 7 May 1805 at Lansdowne House, Berkeley Square, London. Interment: High Wycombe

Son of John Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Earl of Shelburne.

Hereditary Titles

2nd Earl of Shelburne (from 1761) Viscount Fitzmaurice Baron Dunkeron and Lord Wycombe Baron of Chipping Wycombe Earl Wycombe of Chipping Wycombe Viscount Calne and Calstone 1st Marquis of Lansdowne (from 6 Dec 1784)

Prime Minister of England (Jul 1782-Apr 1783)

William was educated privately and at Christ Church, Oxford (1755-1757).

He served in the army during the Seven Years' War (which lasted from 1756 to 1763 and included the "French and Indian War" in North America).

Politics

William was elected to Parliament from the borough of Chipping Wycombe in 1760 and 1761. Upon his father's death in May 1761, he became ineligible to sit in the House of Commons and moved to the House of Lords.

In 1763, William became first lord of trade in the Grenville ministry but resigned within a few months. In 1766, he served as secretary of state for the southern department under William Pitt. He resigned in 1768. In 1782, he became home secretary under Lord Rockingham and was appointed prime minister in July 1782 upon the death of Rockingham. He played a key role in negotiating a peace treaty with France and the United States of America, thereby bringing an end to the American Revolution. The final terms relating to the United States of America were similar to those that William had proposed from the beginning of the Revolution. More details can be found in Ref. 240.

William was defeated in 1783. He was created Marquis of Lansdowne in 1784 and, thereafter, was no longer active in political affairs.

Boston, Massachusetts, and seven nearby communities have each named one of their streets "Lansdowne" to memorialize the 1st Marquis of Lansdowne because of his attitude toward the American colonies during the American Revolution. He consistently opposed the policies of George III towards the colonies in North America. He paid a political price for taking this position, which is still characterized in some English texts as "arrogance and aloofness".

The Lansdowne Portrait

In April 1796, Senator William Bingham of Philadelphia and his wife, Anne Bingham, commissioned Gilbert Stuart to paint a portrait of George Washington as a present for the Marquis of Lansdowne. This portrait, generally known as the "Lansdowne Portrait", was the first full length portrait of President Washington. Sen. Bingham described the Marquis as "a warm friend to the United States".

Ownership of the portrait eventually passed to Lord Harry Dalmeny whose family had owned the painting since c.1900. In 2001, he said that he planned to sell the portrait.

On March 14th, the Las Vegas-based Donald W. Reynolds Foundation donated $30 million to provide $20 million for the purchase of the painting, $4 million to pay for a permanent installation for the "Lansdowne" at the portrait gallery, and $6 million to finance a tour of the Lansdowne portrait around the United States. The portrait had been on anonymous loan to the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution since 1968. It is now owned by the National Portrait Gallery.229

Nuclear Family

On 3 Feb 1765, William (1st Marquis) married Sophia Carteret (26 Aug 1745--5 Jan 1771) at Chapel Royal, St. James Palace, England, and had two sons:

1. William Petty-FitzMaurice

2. John Henry Petty-FitzMaurice (6 Dec 1765--London 15 Nov 1809), 2nd Marquis of Lansdowne, who d.s.p. On 27 May 1809, in London, John (2nd Marquis) married Maria Arabella Maddox (widowed)225 , Lady Gifford (d. 24 Apr 1833 in London).

In London, on 19 Jul 1779, William (1st Marquis) married Louisa FitzPatrick (1755--London 7 Aug 1789) at St. George's, Bloombury. They had one child:

1. Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice (2 Jul 1780--31 Jan 1863), 3rd Marquis of Lansdowne (from 1809).

Source: http://fitzmaurice-family.com/engl.html