The Lord FitzGerald and Vesey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of the Board of Trade | |
| In office 11 June 1828 – 2 February 1830 | |
| Monarch | George IV |
| Prime Minister | The Duke of Wellington |
| Preceded by | Charles Grant |
| Succeeded by | John Charles Herries |
| President of the Board of Control | |
| In office 23 October 1841 – 17 May 1843 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | Sir Robert Peel, Bt |
| Preceded by | The Lord Ellenborough |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Ripon |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Tory |
| Born | (1783-07-24)24 July 1783 |
| Died | 11 May 1843(1843-05-11) (aged 59) Belgrave Square, London |
| Nationality | Anglo-Irish |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Sir William Vesey-FitzGerald (son) |
William Vesey-FitzGerald, 2nd Baron FitzGerald and Vesey,PC, PC (Ire), FRS, FSA (24 July 1783 – 11 May 1843) was anAnglo-Irish statesman. ATory, he served in the governments ofLord Wellington andRobert Peel, but is best known for his defeat in the1828 Clare by-election, hasteningCatholic Emancipation across Britain and Ireland.
FitzGerald was the elder son ofJames FitzGerald and Catherine, 1st Baroness FitzGerald and Vesey, daughter of Reverend Henry Vesey. He was educated atChrist Church, Oxford.[1] Through his father he was of bothOld English andGaelic Irish descent.
FitzGerald first entered parliament in 1808 as the member forEnnis (succeeding his father), a seat he held until October 1812, when he was replaced by his father, and again between January 1813 and 1818. He was implicated in the scandal involving theDuke of York and his mistressMary Anne Clarke, but after bringing valuable evidence of the case to the courts he was rewarded when he was appointed a Lord of the Irish Treasury and sworn of theIrish Privy Council in 1810. In 1812 he was admitted to theBritish Privy Council and made aLord of the Treasury in England,Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer and First Lord of the Irish Treasury. He held the Irish offices until they were merged with the English treasury in 1816. In 1820 FitzGerald was returned to Parliament forClare, which constituency he represented until 1828. In 1820 he was appointedAmbassador to Sweden. He tried to make the Swedish King,Charles XIV John, repay the large sums of money given to him during theNapoleonic Wars, but this was to no avail and he returned to Britain in 1823. He served asPaymaster of the Forces under successivelyLord Liverpool,George Canning andLord Goderich between 1826 and 1828.[1]
In 1828 theDuke of Wellington appointed himPresident of the Board of Trade andTreasurer of the Navy. This required him tocontest the Clare constituency once again, but he was defeated. The election was noteworthy in terms of Irish history because it led directly toCatholic Emancipation spearheaded by his successor,Daniel O'Connell as a result of his win. However, FitzGerald managed to get elected forNewport in 1829, and served as President of the Board of Trade and Treasurer of the Navy until February 1830, when he resigned. He briefly representedLostwithiel in 1830 and thenEnnis from 1831 until 1835.[1]
FitzGerald succeeded his mother as second Baron FitzGerald and Vesey in 1832. As this was anIrish peerage it did not entitle him to a seat in theHouse of Lords. However, in 1835 he was createdBaron FitzGerald, of Desmond and of Clan Gibbon in the County of Cork, in thePeerage of the United Kingdom, and was able to take a seat in the House of Lords. He again held office asPresident of the Board of Control underSir Robert Peel between 1841 and 1843. Apart from his political career FitzGerald wasLord Lieutenant of County Clare from 1831 to 1843, a trustee of theBritish Museum, President of theRoyal Institute of the Architects of Ireland from its foundation in 1839 to 1843, and a Fellow of theSociety of Antiquaries.[1][2]
Lord FitzGerald and Vesey died in May 1843, aged 59. He was unmarried and on his death the barony of 1835 became extinct. He was succeeded in the Irish title by his younger brother, Henry. Lord FitzGerald and Vesey's illegitimate sonSir William Vesey-FitzGerald became a successfulConservative politician.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forEnnis 1808 –1812 | Succeeded by |
| Member of Parliament forEnnis 1813 –1818 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forClare 1818 –1828 With:Sir Edward O'Brien, Bt 1818–1826 Lucius O'Brien 1826–1828 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNewport (Cornwall) 1829 –1830 With:Jonathan Raine | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forLostwithiel 1830 With:Edward Cust | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forEnnis 1831 –1832 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer 1812–1816 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Paymaster of the Forces 1826–1828 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Board of Trade 1828–1830 | Succeeded by |
| Treasurer of the Navy 1828–1830 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | President of the Board of Control 1841–1843 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | Ambassador to Sweden 1820–1823 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| New office | Lord Lieutenant of Clare 1831–1843 | Succeeded by |
| Professional and academic associations | ||
| New office | President of theRoyal Institute of the Architects of Ireland 1839–1843 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by Catherine FitzGerald | Baron FitzGerald and Vesey 1832–1843 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron FitzGerald 1835–1843 | Extinct |
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