George_FitzRoy,_4th_Duke_of_Grafton

George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton

George FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton

British politician

George Henry FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton, KG (14 January 1760 – 28 September 1844), styled Earl of Euston until 1811, was a British peer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1782 to 1811 when he succeeded to the Dukedom.

Quick Facts His GraceThe Duke of GraftonKG, Member of Parliament for Cambridge University ...
Charlotte Maria Waldegrave (c. 1800) by Charles Wilkin
Garter-encircled arms George Henry FitzRoy, 4th Duke of Grafton, KG

Early life

Euston was the son of Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, and his wife, Anne Lidell.[1] He was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge,[2] where he became a close friend of the William Pitt the Younger. He married Lady Charlotte Maria Waldegrave (1761–1808), daughter of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, on 16 November 1784 at Navestock, Essex.

Political career

From 1782 to 1784, Euston was Member of Parliament for Thetford, and in 1784, he and Pitt were elected as MPs for Cambridge University. Euston held that seat until he succeeded his father in the dukedom in 1811.[3] Euston used his position in parliament to advocate for Britain having friendly relations with the newly created United States.[4]

He succeeded his father as Colonel of the West Suffolk Militia on 2 June 1780 at the age of 20 and retained the command until 1808.[5][6] He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Northamptonshire on 9 May 1803.[7][8] He also succeeded his father as Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk on 3 July 1790.

He was appointed a Knight of the Garter (K.G.) in 1834.

Family

Grafton died on 28 September 1844 and was succeeded by his son Henry. He and his wife Charlotte had eleven children:

References

  1. [1]
    Matthew Kilburn, ‘Fitzpatrick , Anne, countess of Upper Ossory [other married name Anne FitzRoy, duchess of Grafton] (1737/8–1804)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Oct 2008 accessed 23 March 2017
  2. [2]
    "Fitzroy, George Henry, Lord Euston (FTSY776GH)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  3. [3]
    "FITZROY, George Henry, Earl of Euston (1760-1844)". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  4. [4]
    Building the American Nation by Jerome R. Reich.
  5. [5]
    War Office, A List of the Officers of the Militia, the Gentlemen & Yeomanry Cavalry, and Volunteer Infantry of the United Kingdom, 11th Edn, London: War Office, 14 October 1805/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 2005, ISBN 978-1-84574-207-2.
  6. [6]
    London Gazette, 8 March 1808.
  7. [7]
    "No. 15666". The London Gazette. 14 January 1804. p. 63.
  8. [8]
    "FITZROY, George Henry, Earl of Euston (1760-1844)". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  9. [9]
    Buried at St James's Church, Piccadilly, on 29 April 1797. Source: The Register Book for Burials. In the Parish of St James in Westminster in the County of Middlesex. 1754-1812. 29 April 1797.
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