Richard Pakenham
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Sir Richard Pakenham PC (19 May 1797 – 28 October 1868) was a British
diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...
of
Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...
background. He served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1843 until 1847, during which time he unsuccessfully worked to prevent the U.S. annexation of
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
and
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
by establishing British forces there instead.


Early life

Pakenham, the fifth son of Admiral Sir Thomas Pakenham, by his wife, Louisa, daughter of the Right Hon. John Staples, was born at Pakenham Hall, County Westmeath, Ireland. He completed his education at
Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...
, and, apparently without waiting to take a degree, entered the Foreign Office on 15 October 1817.


Career

His first appointment was as attaché to his uncle, the
Earl of Clancarty Earl of Clancarty is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. History The title was created for the first time in 1658 in favour of Donough MacCarty, 2nd Viscount Muskerry, of the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty. He had ...
, at
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
. His next appointment was as secretary of the legation in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
(26 January 1824). On 29 December 1826 he was appointed to the same position in
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
; on 12 March 1835, he was promoted to Minister Plenipotentiary to Mexico. In this capacity he seems to have been popular and efficient. Perhaps the most troublesome of his negotiations was for the abolition of the slave trade: the Mexican government objected to the right of search, and negotiations dragged on for four years, but he obtained a treaty in 1841. He was in Mexico during the
Pastry War The Pastry War (; ), also known as the first French intervention in Mexico or the first Franco-Mexican war (1838–1839), began in November 1838 with the naval blockade of some Centralist Republic of Mexico, Mexican ports and the capture of the ...
between Mexico and France, and in February 1839 was dispatched to
Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
with the object of trying to effect a reconciliation between the two countries. On 13 December 1843, while on leave in England, he was made a privy councillor, and on 14 December he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the United States of America. Here some thorny questions awaited him. One of his first duties was that of the Oregon boundary. In this negotiation, though he did not carry the British points, he obtained the approval of his government, which signed the
Oregon Treaty The Oregon Treaty was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to ...
in 1846. The attitude of Great Britain regarding
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
proved of greater difficulty. The relations between the two governments were not very cordial and irritation was easily provoked on both sides. Pakenham left Washington on a leave of absence in May 1847, and, after remaining in Europe for an unusually prolonged period, ultimately preferred to retire on a pension rather than return. He resumed his career on 28 April 1851 as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
. Here, his diplomatic work was less arduous and he rapidly ingratiated himself with the royal family of
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
. In May 1855, he came to England on leave, and at his own request, on 28 June, retired on pension. However, on 7 August, he was sent back to Lisbon on a special mission to congratulate King
Pedro V of Portugal Dom (honorific), Dom Pedro V (; 16 September 1837 – 11 November 1861), nicknamed "the Hopeful" (), was King of Portugal from 1853 until his death in 1861. Early life and reign As the eldest son of Maria II of Portugal, Queen Maria II and ...
on attaining his majority. He returned to England once more in October 1855, was awarded a diplomatic pension of the second class, and retired to Coolure, Castlepollard, where he died, unmarried in 1868.


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pakenham, Richard 1797 births 1868 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People from County Westmeath Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the United States
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Mexico Irish diplomats