The Duke of Portland | |
|---|---|
%2c_by_Christian_Friedrich_Zincke.jpg) William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland (Christian Friedrich Zincke) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1709-03-01)1 March 1709 |
| Died | 1 May 1762(1762-05-01) (aged 53) |
| Resting place | Westminster Abbey |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse | Lady Margaret Harley |
| Children | Elizabeth Thynne, Marchioness of Bath Henrietta Grey, Countess of Stamford William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland Lady Margaret Bentinck Lady Frances Bentinck Lord Edward Bentinck |
| Parent(s) | Henry Bentinck, 1st Duke of Portland Elizabeth Noel |
William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of PortlandKG (1 March 1709 – 1 May 1762), styledViscount Woodstock from 1709 to 1716 andMarquess of Titchfield from 1716 to 1726, was a Britishpeer and politician.
Portland was the son ofHenry Bentinck, 1st Duke of Portland and his wife Elizabeth Noel, daughter ofWriothesley Baptist Noel, 2nd Earl of Gainsborough. He succeeded his father in the dukedom as a teen in 1726.[1]
He was an original governor of theFoundling Hospital inLondon, founded in 1739, and was made aKnight of the Garter in 1741.
The Duke did not seek any public office, but focused on his family life at the family seat,Bulstrode Park.[1]
Portland is identified inThe Handy-Book of Literary Curiosities (1909) as one of the perpetrators ofThe Great Bottle Hoax of 1749, in which a large crowd was lured to a London theatre with the expectation of seeing a man jump into a "quart bottle".[citation needed]
On 11 June 1734, he marriedLady Margaret Harley, daughter ofEdward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. They had six children:
Portland died in May 1762, aged 53, was buried atWestminster Abbey. He was succeeded in the dukedom by his eldest son William, who becamePrime Minister of Great Britain. The Duchess of Portland died in 1785.[citation needed]
| Peerage of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Duke of Portland 1726–1762 | Succeeded by |
