Political party Tory Party Tories Nationality British | Role Politician Name Richard 2nd | |
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Spouse(s) Lady Mary Campbell(1795-1862) Succeeded by Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch Books Memoirs of the Court and Cabinets of George the Third: From Original Family Documents | ||
Preceded by The Earl of Clarendon Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, Bt | ||
Richard Plantagenet Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, (11 February 1797 – 29 July 1861), styled Viscount Cobham from birth until 1813, Earl Temple between 1813 and 1822 and Marquess of Chandos between 1822 and 1839, was a British Tory politician. He served as Lord Privy Seal between 1841 and 1842.
Contents
Two events in his life were remarkable, given the era he lived in and the position he held in society as a duke: firstly, he obtained a divorce at a time when that required an act of parliament; secondly, despite the great wealth to which he was born, he declared bankruptcy with debts of over a million pounds in 1847.
Background and education
Born at Stowe, Buckinghamshire, the Duke of Buckingham was the son of the Earl Temple (later created the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos) and Lady Anne, daughter of the 3rd Duke of Chandos. He was a paternal grandson of the 1st Marquess of Buckingham and a great-grandson of Prime Minister George Grenville. He was educated at Eton and Oriel College, Oxford.
Political career
Buckingham sat as Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire between 1818 and 1839, when he succeeded his father in the dukedom and entered the House of Lords. Two years later, in September 1841, he was sworn of the Privy Council and appointed Lord Privy Seal by Sir Robert Peel, a post he held only until February 1842. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Order in 1835, elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1840 and made a Knight of the Garter in 1842.
Personal life
In 1819, Buckingham married Lady Mary, daughter of Lieut-Gen The 4th Earl of Breadalbane (later created Marquess of Breadalbane). They had one son and one daughter, but were divorced in 1850. At that time, divorce required an Act of Parliament.
In 1847, eight years after succeeding his father as Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, Richard was declared bankrupt with debts over a million pounds. This occasioned the auction sale of the contents of Stowe House in August–September 1848, one of the handful of most prominent English country house contents auctions of the 19th century.
Buckingham died at the Great Western Hotel, Paddington, London, in July 1861, aged 64, and was succeeded in the dukedom by his only son, Richard. His sometime wife died less than a year later in June 1862, aged 66.