Ancestral Trails 2016 » William PETTY (1737-1805)

Persoonlijke gegevens William PETTY 

• Hij is geboren op 2 mei 1737 in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland.
• Titel: 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Marquess of Lansdowne
• Hij is overleden op 7 mei 1805 in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, Westminster, Middlesex, hij was toen 68 jaar oud.

Gezin van William PETTY

(1) Hij is getrouwd met Sophia CARTERET.

Zij zijn getrouwd voor 1765.

Kind(eren):

1. John Henry PETTY  1765-1809

(2) Hij is getrouwd met Louisa FITZPATRICK.

Zij zijn getrouwd op 8 juli 1779, hij was toen 42 jaar oud.

Kind(eren):

1. Henry PETTY-FITZMAURICE  1780-1863 

Notities over William PETTY

William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC (2 May 1737 - 7 May 1805), known as The Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Irish-born British Whig statesman who was the first Home Secretary in 1782 and then Prime Minister in 1782-83 during the final months of the American War of Independence. He succeeded in securing peace with America and this feat remains his most notable legacy. He was also well known as a collector of antiquities and works of art.

Lord Shelburne was born in Dublin in 1737 and spent his formative years in Ireland. After attending Oxford University he served in the British army during the Seven Years' War taking part in the Raid on Rochefort and the Battle of Minden. As a reward for his conduct at the Battle of Kloster Kampen, Shelburne was appointed an aide-de-camp to George III. He became involved in politics, becoming a member of parliament in 1760. After his father's death in 1761 he inherited his title and was elevated to the House of Lords and took an active role in politics. He served as President of the Board of Trade in the Grenville Ministry but resigned this position after only a few months and began to associate with the opposition leader William Pitt.

When Pitt was made Prime Minister in 1766 Shelburne was appointed as Southern Secretary, a position which he held for two years. He departed office during the Corsican Crisis and joined the Opposition. Along with Pitt he was an advocate of a conciliatory policy towards Britain's American Colonies and a long-term critic of the North Government's measures in America. Following the fall of the North government Shelburne joined its replacement led by Lord Rockingham. Shelburne was made Prime Minister in 1782 following Rockingham's death with the American War still being fought. Shelburne's government was brought down largely due to the terms of the Peace of Paris which brought the conflict to an end which were considered excessively generous because they gave the new nation control of vast trans-Appalachian lands. Shelburne however had a vision of long-term benefit to Britain through trade with a large and increasingly prosperous United States, without the risk of warfare over the western territories.

After he was forced from office in 1783 at age 45, he permanently lost his power and influence. Shelburne lamented that his career had been a failure, despite the many high offices he held over 17 years, and his undoubted abilities as a debater. He blamed his poor education-although it was as good as that of most peers-and said the real problem was that "it has been my fate through life to fall in with clever but unpopular connections." Historians, however, point to a nasty personality that alienated friend and enemy alike. His contemporaries distrusted him as too prone to trickery and duplicity. Biographer John Cannon says "His uneasiness prompted him to alternate flattery and hectoring, which most of his colleagues found unpleasant, and to suspiciousness... In debate he was frequently vituperative and sarcastic." Success came too early, and produced jealousy, especially when he was tagged as an upstart Irishman. He never understood the power of the House of Commons, or how to deal with its leaders. He advocated numerous reforms, especially free trade, religious toleration, and parliamentary reform. He was ahead of his time, but was unable to build an adequate network of support from his colleagues who distrusted his motives. In turn he distrusted others, and tried to do all the work himself so that it would be done right.

Later life
When Pitt became Prime Minister in 1784, Shelburne, instead of receiving a place in the Cabinet, was created Marquess of Lansdowne. Though giving a general support to the policy of Pitt, he from this time ceased to take an active part in public affairs. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1803.

Family
Lord Lansdowne was twice married:

First to Sophia Petty, Countess of Shelburne (26 August 1745 - 5 January 1771), daughter of the 1st Earl Granville, through whom he obtained the Lansdowne estates near Bath. They had at least one child:

John Henry Petty, 2nd Marquess of Lansdowne (6 December 1765 - 15 November 1809), who sat in the House of Commons for twenty years as member for Chipping Wycombe before inheriting his father's marquessate. He married Mary Arabella Maddox (died 24 April 1833), the daughter of Rev. Hinton Maddox and the widow of Duke Gifford, on 27 May 1805; they had no sons.

Secondly, to Louisa Petty, Marchioness of Lansdowne (1755 - 7 August 1789), daughter of the 1st Earl of Upper Ossory. They had at least two children:

Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (1780-1863), who succeeded his half-brother in the title.
Lady Louisa Fitzmaurice (born bef. 1789)

Lord Lansdowne's brother, The Hon. Thomas Fitzmaurice (1742-1793) of Cliveden, was also a Member of Parliament.
SOURCE: Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Petty,_2nd_Earl_of_Shelburne#Later_life

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