William Pakenham, 4th Earl of Longford

William Pakenham, 4th Earl of Longford
Born 31 January 1819
Died 19 April 1887(1887-04-19) (aged 68)
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Rank General
Battles/wars Crimean War
Indian Rebellion
Awards Companion of the Order of the Bath

General William Pakenham, 4th Earl of Longford CB (31 January 1819 – 19 April 1887), styled The Honourable William Pakenham before 1860, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Conservative politician.

Background

Pakenham was the second son of Thomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford, by Lady Georgiana Emma Charlotte Lygon, daughter of William Lygon, 1st Earl Beauchamp.[1]

Public life

After service in both the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion, Pakenham became Adjutant-General in India in November 1858.[2] He succeeded in the earldom in 1860 on the death of his elder brother, the third Earl. He sat on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords and served as Under-Secretary of State for War from 1866 to 1868 under first the Earl of Derby and later Benjamin Disraeli. He was also colonel of the Northumberland Fusiliers.[3] In February 1870 he was voted chairman of the Central Protestant Defence Association which was established in response to the Irish Church Disestablishment Act 1869. [4] He also served as Lord Lieutenant of Longford from 1874 to 1887. In Dublin, he was a member of the Kildare Street Club.[5]

Family

Lord Longford married the Honourable Selina Rice-Trevor, daughter of George Rice-Trevor, 4th Baron Dynevor, in 1862. He died in April 1887, aged 68, and was succeeded in the earldom by his second but eldest surviving son, Thomas. His grandson Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, became a prominent Labour politician. The Countess of Longford survived her husband by over thirty years and died in January 1918, aged 81.[1]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Lundy, Darryl. "William Lygon Pakenham, 4th Earl of Longford". thepeerage.com. The Peerage.
  2. The London Gazette: no. 22202. p. 4909. 19 November 1858.
  3. The London Gazette: no. 24628. p. 5332. 27 September 1878.
  4. Ireland:From Our Own Correspondent; The Times; 4 Feb 1870; pg8 col A
  5. Thomas Hay Sweet Escott, Club Makers and Club Members (1913), pp. 329–333

References

Military offices
Preceded by
Edward Lugard
Adjutant-General, India
1858–1860
Succeeded by
Edmund Haythorne
Political offices
Preceded by
The Lord Dufferin and Clanboye
Under-Secretary of State for War
1866–1868
Succeeded by
The Lord Northbrook
Honorary titles
Preceded by
The Lord Annaly
Lord Lieutenant of Longford
1874–1887
Succeeded by
The Earl of Longford
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by
Edward Michael Pakenham
Earl of Longford
1860–1887
Succeeded by
Thomas Pakenham
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