Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington

His Grace
The Duke of Wellington
The Duke of Wellington by Carlo Pellegrini, 1885.
Personal details
Born (1846-04-05)5 April 1846
Died 8 June 1900(1900-06-08) (aged 54)
Spouse(s) Evelyn Williams
Parents Lord Charles Wellesley
Lady Augusta Pierrepont

Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington (Apsley House, 5 April 1846 – 8 June 1900, Strathfieldsaye) was a British peer and Conservative Party politician. He was the son of Lord Charles Wellesley and grandson of the 1st Duke of Wellington.

Evelyn, Duchess of Wellington.

Between 1859 and 1865 he attended Eton. He joined the 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards as an ensign on 16 May 1865, was promoted to major on 1 July 1881, and retired from the service on 28 June 1882. He unsuccessfully contested the Parliamentary constituency of Andover in 1868. He won the seat in 1874 and held on to it until 1880.

He succeeded his uncle as Duke of Wellington on 13 August 1884. Subsequently, his sisters Victoria and Mary were granted the rank of daughters of a Duke. He was appointed honorary colonel of the Hampshire Artillery 22 November 1884, and the 6th West York Militia on 10 April 1886. He held both honours until his death. He was special ambassador to Spain for the funeral of Alfonso XII in 1885, and chairman of the Society for the Suppression of Mendicity.

Wellington died at the family home of Strathfield Saye in 1900 and was buried there. He married Evelyn Katrine Gwenfra Williams (1855 – 11 March 1939) on 7 March 1882; they had no issue. He was succeeded by his brother, Arthur Charles.

In her memoirs, Lady Angela Forbes comments that "The Duke was the fattest man I have ever seen, and went by the nickname of "Spurgeon".[1]

References

  1. Lady Angela Forbes, Memories and Base Details (1921), p. 96
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Dudley Fortescue
Member of Parliament for Andover
1874–1880
Succeeded by
Francis Buxton
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Arthur Richard Wellesley
Duke of Wellington
1884–1900
Succeeded by
Arthur Charles Wellesley
Dutch nobility
Preceded by
Arthur Richard Wellesley
Prince of Waterloo
1884–1900
Succeeded by
Arthur Charles Wellesley
Spanish nobility
Preceded by
Arthur Richard Wellesley
Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo
1884–1900
Succeeded by
Arthur Charles Wellesley
Portuguese nobility
Preceded by
Arthur Richard Wellesley
Duque da Vitória
1884–1900
Succeeded by
Arthur Charles Wellesley
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.