Henry Lygon, 5th Earl Beauchamp

Henry Lygon, 5th Earl Beauchamp (13 February 1829 – 4 March 1866), styled Viscount Elmley between 1853 and 1863, was a British politician.

Henry Lygon, 5th Earl Beauchamp (Richard Dighton)

Background

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Beauchamp was the second but eldest surviving son of General Henry Lygon, 4th Earl Beauchamp, by his wife Lady Susan Caroline, daughter of William Eliot, 2nd Earl of St Germans.

Career

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Lygon served in the 1st Life Guards. He purchased a commission as a lieutenant on 5 May 1848, succeeding Hon. Dudley FitzGerald-deRos.[1] That year, he became a cornet.[2] He achieved the rank of captain in 1854.[2] In 1853 he succeeded his father as Member of Parliament for Worcestershire West,[2] a seat he held until 1863,[2] when he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the House of Lords.

Personal life

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Lord Beauchamp spent much of his life abroad. A homosexual, he never married.[3] He died from tuberculosis in London in March 1866, aged 37. He was succeeded in his titles by his younger brother, Frederick.

References

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  1. ^ "No. 20853". The London Gazette. 5 May 1848. p. 1746.
  2. ^ a b c d "Henry Lygon, 5th Earl Beauchamp". The Peerage. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  3. ^ Michael Bloch, Closet Queens: Some 20th Century British Politicians, Little Brown 2015.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Worcestershire West
1853–1863
With: Frederic Winn Knight
Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Earl Beauchamp
1863–1866
Succeeded by