William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale

William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale PC, FRS (21 July 1787 – 4 March 1872), styled Viscount Lowther between 1807 and 1844, was a British Tory politician.

Background

Lonsdale was the eldest son of William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, and Lady Augusta, daughter of John Fane, 9th Earl of Westmorland. Henry Lowther was his younger brother. He was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge.

Political career

Lonsdale was returned to parliament for Cockermouth in 1808, a seat he held until 1813, and later represented Westmorland between 1813 and 1831 and 1832 and 1841, Dunwich in 1832 and West Cumberland between 1832 and 1833. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1818 and served under the Duke of Wellington as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests between 1828 and 1830 and under Sir Robert Peel as Treasurer of the Navy and Vice-President of the Board of Trade between 1834 and 1835.

In 1841 he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's junior title of Baron Lowther and held office under Peel as Postmaster General between 1841 and 1845. In 1844 he succeeded his father in the earldom of Lonsdale. He held his last ministerial office as Lord President of the Council, with a seat in the cabinet, in 1852, in the Earl of Derby's first administration.

Lonsdale was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 5 July 1810. He was also Lord Lieutenant of Cumberland and Westmorland between 1844 and 1868.

Personal life

Lord Lonsdale never married. He died in March 1872, aged 84, and was succeeded in the earldom by his nephew, Henry. A marble bust of him was sculpted by Edward Bowring Stephens, now in the National Trust collection at Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Lonsdale

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir James Graham, Bt John Osborn	Member of Parliament for Cockermouth 1808–1813 With: Sir James Graham, Bt 1808–1812 Sir John Lowther, Bt 1812 Augustus Foster 1812–1813	Succeeded by Augustus Foster Thomas Wallace
Preceded by The Lord Muncaster Hon. Henry Lowther	Member of Parliament for Westmorland 1813 – 1831 With: Hon. Henry Lowther	Succeeded by Hon. Henry Lowther Alexander Nowell
Preceded by Frederick Barne Earl of Brecknock	Member of Parliament for Dunwich 1832 With: Frederick Barne	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for West Cumberland 1832 – 1833 With: Edward Stanley	Succeeded by Samuel Irton Edward Stanley
Preceded by Hon. Henry Lowther Alexander Nowell	Member of Parliament for Westmorland 1832 – 1841 With: Hon. Henry Lowther	Succeeded by Hon. Henry Lowther William Thompson
Political offices
Preceded by Charles Arbuthnot	First Commissioner of Woods and Forests 1828–1830	Succeeded by Hon. George Agar-Ellis
Preceded by Charles Poulett Thomson	Treasurer of the Navy 1834–1835	Succeeded by Sir Henry Parnell, Bt
	Vice-President of the Board of Trade 1834–1835	Succeeded by Henry Labouchere
Preceded by The Earl of Lichfield	Postmaster General 1841–1845	Succeeded by The Earl of St Germans
Preceded by The Marquess of Lansdowne	Lord President of the Council 1852	Succeeded by The Earl Granville
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Lonsdale	Lord Lieutenant of Cumberland and Westmorland 1844–1868	Succeeded by Henry Lowther
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by William Lowther	Earl of Lonsdale 1844 – 1872	Succeeded by Henry Lowther
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by William Lowther	Baron Lowther (writ of acceleration) 1841 – 1844	Succeeded by Henry Lowther