Francis Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper

The Right Honourable The Earl Cowper KG PC DL
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
In office 4 May 1880 – 4 May 1882
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	William Ewart Gladstone
Preceded by	The Duke of Marlborough
Succeeded by	Lord Spencer
Personal details
Born	11 June 1834 (1834-06-11)
Died
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Lady Katrine Compton
Alma mater	University of Oxford

Francis Thomas de Grey Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper KG, PC, DL (11 June 1834 – 18 July 1905), known as Viscount Fordwich from 1837 to 1856, was a British Liberal politician. He was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1880 to 1882.

Background

Cowper (pronounced "Cooper") was the eldest son of George Cowper, 6th Earl Cowper, by his wife Anne de Grey, 7th holder of the barony of Lucas of Crudwell, daughter of Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey. He was educated at Harrow School and the University of Oxford.

He was commissioned a cornet in the Yorkshire Hussars on 19 February 1852. On 22 November 1855, his father appointed him a deputy lieutenant of Kent.

Political career

Cowper entered the House of Lords on his father's death in 1856 and served under William Ewart Gladstone as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords) from 1871 to 1874 and as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1880 to 1882. He became a Knight of the Garter in 1865 and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1871.

Other public positions

Apart from his political career Cowper held the position of Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire between 1861 and 1905. He was also a Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire and Kent.

Peerages

In 1871 Cowper managed to obtain a reversal of the attainder of the Scottish lordship of Dingwall, which had been under attainder since 1715, and now became the 4th Lord Dingwall as well. In 1880 he also succeeded his mother as 8th Baron Lucas of Crudwell.

Family

Lord Cowper married Lady Katrine Compton, daughter of William Compton, 4th Marquess of Northampton, in 1870. The marriage was childless. Cowper died in July 1905, aged 71. On his death, the baronetcy of Ratlingcourt, barony of Cowper, viscountcy of Fordwich and earldom of Cowper became extinct. He was succeeded in the barony of Lucas of Crudwell and the lordship of Dingwall by his nephew, Auberon.

References

Political offices
Preceded by The Marquess of Normanby	Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms 1871–1874	Succeeded by The Earl of Ilchester
Preceded by The Duke of Marlborough	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1880–1882	Succeeded by The Earl Spencer
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Duke of Bedford	Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire 1861–1905	Succeeded by The Lord St John of Bletso
Peerage of England
Preceded by Anne Cowper	Baron Lucas of Crudwell 1880–1905	Succeeded by Auberon Herbert
Preceded by James Butler (attainted 1715)	Baron Butler (attainder reversed) 1871–1905	Succeeded by Abeyant
Preceded by George Cowper	Baron Cowper 1856–1905	Succeeded by Extinct
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by James Butler (attainted 1715)	Lord Dingwall (attainder reversed) 1871–1905	Succeeded by Auberon Herbert
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by George Cowper	Earl Cowper 1856–1905	Succeeded by Extinct