Edmond George Petty-Fitzmaurice, 1st Baron Fitzmaurice, (19 June 184621 June 1935), styled Lord Edmond FitzMaurice from 1863 to 1906, was a British

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician. He served as

Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is a vacant junior position in the British government, subordinate to both the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and since 1945 also to the Minister of State for Foreign Affa ...

from 1883 to 1885 and again from 1905 to 1908, when he entered the cabinet as

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. The position is the second highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the Prime Minister, and senior to the Minist ...

under H. H. Asquith. However, illness forced him to resign the following year.

Early life and education

Born at

Lansdowne House Lansdowne House now 9 Fitzmaurice Place is the remaining part of a building to the south of Berkeley Square in central London, England, not to be confused with 57 Berkeley Square – opposite – a much later quadrilateral building which take ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, Fitzmaurice was the second son of Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 4th Marquess of Lansdowne and his second wife Emily de Flahault, daughter of the French statesman Charles Joseph, comte de Flahaut. His elder brother was the statesman

Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, (14 January 18453 June 1927), was a British statesman who served successively as Governor General of Canada, Viceroy of India, Secretary of State for War and Secretary of State f ...

. Fitzmaurice was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, where he served as

President of the Cambridge Union This is a list of presidents of Cambridge Union since its foundation in 1815. 1815–1916 It was resolved at a Private Business Meeting held on Monday, May 8, 1916, to hold no elections for terminal officers in the Easter Term, nor subsequentl ...

in 1866. He studied the Classical Tripos and graduated with a

first class degree The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

in 1868.

Career

Fitzmaurice was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1871, but never practised. In 1868 Fitzmaurice was elected unopposed to Parliament for the family constituency of

Calne Calne () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, southwestern England,OS Explorer Map 156, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey A2 edition (2007). at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs ...

, a seat he would hold until 1885, and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Robert Lowe, Chancellor of the Exchequer and later

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...

, from 1872 to 1874, when the Liberals fell from office. He was appointed Commissioner at

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

in 1880, overseeing the reorganisation of the European provinces of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

under the Berlin Treaty of 1878. However, his ambitious plans and ideas for the area were never implemented. The

Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

had returned to power in 1880, and in 1883 William Gladstone appointed Fitzmaurice

, succeeding Sir Charles Dilke, which he remained until the fall of the Liberal Government in 1885. The Calne constituency he had represented since 1868 was abolished in 1885, and he was instead chosen as the Liberal party candidate for the

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

constituency of Blackfriars and Hutchesontown. However, illness forced Fitzmaurice into semi-retirement before the elections. He returned to public life in 1887 but was unsuccessful in his attempts to return to Parliament when he stood for

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...

in the 1892 general election and for

Cricklade Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227. History Cricklade ...

in the 1895 general election. However, in 1898 he was successfully returned for

in a by-election, a constituency he would represent until 1906. When the Liberals came to power in late 1905 under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Fitzmaurice was appointed to his old post of Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, but to the surprise of many he was overlooked for a Cabinet post. He was in fact offered the position of Foreign Secretary (which for five years prior had been held by his brother Lord Lansdowne) should

Sir Edward Grey Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, (25 April 1862 – 7 September 1933), better known as Sir Edward Grey, was a British Liberal statesman and the main force behind British foreign policy in the era of the First World War. An adhe ...

refuse it (which he did not). Fitzmaurice chose not to stand in the 1906 General Election, and was instead raised to the peerage as Baron Fitzmaurice, of Leigh in the County of Wiltshire. He remained at the Foreign Office after H. H. Asquith became

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern ...

in April 1908 and was admitted to the Privy Council the same month. In October 1908 he was appointed

, with a seat in the Cabinet. However, a recurrence of his earlier illness forced him to resign the following year, marking the end of his political career. Following Asquith's ascension to the premiership, Fitzmaurice was critical of what he saw as "the Liberals' aimless drift in domestic politics," although following his resignation he was (according to one study) "anxious to dispel rumours that his resignation was caused by a rift with Asquith or misgivings over Lloyd George's controversial 'People's Budget.'"

Business and publications

Apart from his participation in national politics, Lord Fitzmaurice serve as Chairman of Wiltshire County Council from 1896 to 1906. He was also a biographer, and published works on his great-grandfather, the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

the 2nd Earl of Shelburne and of his earlier ancestor, the economist, scientist and philosopher

Sir William Petty Sir William Petty FRS (26 May 1623 – 16 December 1687) was an English economist, physician, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth in Ireland. He developed efficient methods to su ...

(in ''

Life of Sir William Petty 1623 - 1687 Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy tran ...

'', published 1895), of the 2nd Earl Granville and of

Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick Charles William Ferdinand (german: Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand; 9 October 1735 – 10 November 1806) was the Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and a military leader. His titles are usually shortened to Duke of Brunswic ...

, amongst others. He served as a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

of the National Portrait Gallery. Published works of Lord Fitzmaurice include: * 1895:

'' The Life of Sir William Petty, 1623-1687'' * 1901: ''Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick : An Historical Study, 1735-1806.'' London : Longmans, Green & Co.Fitmaurice 1901
in

archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

. * 1905: ''The life of Granville George Leveson Gower, second earl Granville, K.G., 1815-1891''in 2 vols.Fitzmaurice 1905
Vol. 1
an
Vol. 2
in archive.org. * 1912: ''Life of William, earl of Shelburne, afterwards first marquess of Lansdowne'' (1912) in 2 vols.Fitzmaurice 1912
Vol. 1
an
Vol. 2
in archive. org; see also
record
in HathiTrust (with vol. 2 in full text). * 1914: ''The country dressmaker : a play in three acts.''Fitzmaurice 1914 ''The country dressmaker''
in archive.org. * 1914: ''Dandy dolls.''Fitzmaurice 1914 ''Dandy dolls''
in archive.org. * 1914: ''Moonlighter.''

Awards and honours

Fitzmaurice was awarded

Fellowship of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

(FBA) in 1914. He provided the finance to set up the County School in Bradford-on-Avon which was renamed Fitzmaurice Grammar School in his honour after his death. Fitzmaurice Primary School is also named in his honour.

Dauntsey's School Dauntsey's School is a public school (independent boarding and day school) for pupils aged 11–18 in the village of West Lavington, Wiltshire, England. The school was founded in 1542, in accordance with the will of William Dauntesey, a mast ...

have named a school house in his honour, as he served as a

school governor In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, school governors are the overseers of a school. In state schools, they have three main functions: *Giving the school a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction *Holding the headteacher to account for the ...

there from 1893.

Personal life

Lord Fitzmaurice married Caroline FitzGerald in 1889, daughter of William John FitzGerald of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. Their marriage was annulled in 1894 and they no children. He died in June 1935, two days after his 89th birthday. The title Baron Fitzmaurice became extinct on his death. Fitzmaurice lived at Leigh House in

Bradford-on-Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon or Bradford upon Avon) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset, which had a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings, s ...

, now the Leigh Park Hotel.https://www.leighparkhotel.co.uk/ His family's home was at

Bowood House Bowood is a Grade I listed Georgian country house in Wiltshire, England, that has been owned for more than 250 years by the Fitzmaurice family. The house, with interiors by Robert Adam, stands in extensive grounds which include a garden designe ...

, near Chippenham.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:FitzMaurice, Edmond 1846 births 1935 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Fellows of the British Academy Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster Younger sons of marquesses Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of Wiltshire County Council People educated at Eton College UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs who were granted peerages Presidents of the Cambridge Union Edmond Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Cricklade Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Calne Peers created by Edward VII Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs Members of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom