Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue

The Right Honourable The Earl Fortescue KG, PC
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
In office 13 March 1839 – 11 September 1841
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Viscount Melbourne
Preceded by	The Marquess of Normanby
Succeeded by	The Earl de Grey
Personal details
Born	13 February 1783 (1783-02-13)
Died	14 September 1861 (1861-09-15)
Nationality	British
Political party	Whig
Spouse(s)	(1) Lady Susan Ryder (1796-1827) (2) Elizabeth Geale (c. 1805-1896)
Alma mater	Brasenose College, Oxford

Hugh Fortescue, 2nd Earl Fortescue KG, PC (13 February 1783 – 14 September 1861), styled Viscount Ebrington from 1789 to 1841, was a British Whig politician. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1839 to 1841.

Background and education

Fortescue was the eldest son of Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Fortescue, and Hester Grenville, daughter of Prime Minister George Grenville. He was educated at Eton and Brasenose College, Oxford.

Political career

Fortescue first became an MP, for Barnstaple, just after his 21st birthday, and sat for various constituencies almost continuously until 1839. The latter year he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Fortescue, and then served under Lord Melbourne as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1839 to 1841 (when he succeeded his father in the earldom) and under Lord John Russell as Lord Steward from 1846 to 1850. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1839 and created a Knight of the Garter in 1856. Fortescue belonged to that section of the Whig party that welcomed much of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon hoping for radical change in Britain.^{[citation needed]} After Napoleon's first abdication and exile to Elba he arranged visits by other prominent Whigs to the Emperor.^{[citation needed]}

Family

Lord Fortescue married firstly Lady Susan, daughter of Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby, in 1817. After her death in 1827 he married secondly Elizabeth, daughter of Piers Geale and widow of Sir Marcus Somerville, Bt, in 1841. Fortescue died in September 1861, aged 78, and was succeeded by his eldest son from his first marriage, Hugh. His younger sons the Hon. John and the Hon. Dudley were both Members of Parliament. The Countess Fortescue died in May 1896.

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl Fortescue

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir Edward Pellew, Bt William Devaynes	Member of Parliament for Barnstaple 1804–1807 With: William Devaynes William Taylor	Succeeded by George Thellusson William Taylor
Preceded by William Shipley Scrope Bernard	Member of Parliament for St Mawes 1807–1809 With: Scrope Bernard to 1808 Earl Gower from 1808	Succeeded by Scrope Bernard-Morland Earl Gower
Preceded by Richard Griffin Lord George Grenville	Member of Parliament for Buckingham 1812–1817 With: William Henry Fremantle	Succeeded by James Hamilton Stanhope William Henry Fremantle
Preceded by Sir Thomas Dyke-Acland, Bt Edmund Pollexfen Bastard	Member of Parliament for Devon 1818–1820 With: Edmund Pollexfen Bastard	Succeeded by Sir Thomas Dyke-Acland, Bt Edmund Pollexfen Bastard
Preceded by John Fazakerley John Peter Grant	Member of Parliament for Tavistock 1820–1830 With: Lord Russell from 1830	Succeeded by Lord John Russell Lord Russell
Preceded by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, Bt Edmund Pollexfen Bastard	Member of Parliament for Devon 1830–1832 With: Sir Thomas Dyke-Acland, Bt, to 1831 Lord John Russell from 1831	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for North Devon 1832–1839 With: Newton Fellowes to 1837 Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, Bt from 1837	Succeeded by Lewis Buck Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, Bt
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl Fortescue	Lord Lieutenant of Devon 1839–1861	Succeeded by The Duke of Somerset
Political offices
Preceded by The Earl of Mulgrave	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1839–1841	Succeeded by The Earl de Grey
Preceded by The Earl of Liverpool	Lord Steward 1846–1850	Succeeded by The Marquess of Westminster
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Hugh Fortescue	Earl Fortescue 1841–1861	Succeeded by Hugh Fortescue
Peerage of England
Preceded by Hugh Fortescue	Baron Fortescue (writ in acceleration) (descended by acceleration) 1839–1859	Succeeded by Hugh Fortescue