Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton

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Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton

Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton GCH PC (born Grosvenor , born December 30, 1799 - March 7, 1882 ) was a British peer and Tory politician. He served as Lord Steward of the Household in Sir Robert Peel's first Tory administration in 1835 .

He became internationally known because he made yachting history in 1851 when he was invited to the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) to participate in a yacht regatta in the waters off Cowes .

Life path

He was born as "Thomas Grosvenor" as the second son of Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster , (1767-1845) and his wife Lady Eleanor Egerton, daughter of Thomas Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton . Robert Grosvenor, 1st Baron Ebury , was his younger brother.

Coat of arms of Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton

When his maternal grandfather died in 1814, at the age of 14, he inherited his title of nobility as 2nd Earl of Wilton and 2nd Viscount Gray de Wilton . After he came of age in 1920 he took his seat associated with the titles in the British House of Lords and took his grandfather's general heir with a royal license from November 27, 1821, his family name "Egerton" and his coat of arms and received his lands including the estate Heaton Hall near Manchester .

In January 1835 he was appointed Lord Steward of the Household in the Tory government of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. The following February he was inducted into the Privy Council of the United Kingdom . The government resigned in April 1835 and Lord Wilton resigned from office. King Wilhelm IV then distinguished him as the Knight Grand Cross of the Hanoverian Guelphic Order .

In the British Army he became a Colonel in the Royal London Militia (Light Infantry) in 1840 .

Sailing

Lord Wilton was the Commodore (chairman) of the posh Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) from 1849 to 1881. In this capacity, he made yachting history by inviting the members of the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) to participate in a sailing competition as part of an open regatta series for all nations of the Royal Yacht Squadron around the Isle of Wight on August 22nd, 1851. The NYYC's Yacht America won the race by a huge margin and was awarded the Silver One Hundred Sovereigns Cup for its victory .

America's owner, John Cox Stevens , donated the trophy again after returning to the USA and named it after the America's Cup winner . Thomas Egerton was posthumously inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame as an honorary member (inductee) for his services to the America's Cup in 2001 during a special ceremony in the club rooms of the Royal Yacht Squadron during the America's Cup 150th anniversary.

Marriages and offspring

Lord Wilton married Lady Mary Stanley in 1821, a daughter of Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby (1801-1858). With her he had eleven children from his first marriage, only five of whom reached adulthood:

  • Lady Eleanor Egerton (1823-1824);
  • Thomas Egerton, Viscount Gray de Wilton (1825-1830);
  • Lady Mary Egerton (1827-1838);
  • Lady Margaret Egerton (1830-1831);
  • Arthur Egerton, Viscount Gray de Wilton (1831-1831);
  • Lady Elizabeth Egerton (1832-1892), ⚭ 1853 Dudley Fitzgerald-de Ros, 24th Baron de Ros ;
  • Arthur Egerton, 3rd Earl of Wilton (1833–1885) ⚭ 1858 Lady Elizabeth Craven, daughter of William Craven, 2nd Earl of Craven ;
  • Lady Katherine Egerton (1835–1920) ⚭ 1861 Hon. Henry John Coke (1827–1916), son of Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester ;
  • Lady Emily Egerton (1837-1839);
  • Seymour Egerton, 4th Earl of Wilton (1839-1898) ⚭ 1862 Laura Caroline Russell;
  • Lady Alice Egerton (1842–1925) ⚭ 1863 Sir Henry Des Voeux, 5th Baronet.

After the death of his wife, he married Isabella Smith († 1916) in 1863. The marriage remained childless.

When Lord Wilton died in 1882, his third and oldest surviving son Arthur inherited his titles of nobility.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ American Heritage Magazine: ALFRED F. LOOMIS: “Ah, Your Majesty, there is no second” ( July 24, 2009 memento in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved February 8, 2009
  2. ↑ America's Cup Hall of Fame: 2001 Inductee - Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton . Retrieved July 20, 2009
predecessor Office successor
Thomas Egerton Earl of Wilton
1814-1882 		Arthur Egerton
personal data
SURNAME Egerton, Thomas, 2nd Earl of Wilton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Grosvenor, Thomas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British peer and sailor
DATE OF BIRTH December 30, 1799
DATE OF DEATH March 7, 1882