William Somerville, 1st Baron Athlumney
|
The Right Honourable The Lord Athlumney PC |
|
|---|---|
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | |
|
In office 22 July 1847 – 21 February 1852 |
|
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | Lord John Russell |
| Preceded by | Henry Labouchere |
| Succeeded by | Lord Naas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1802 |
| Died |
7 December 1863 Dover, Kent |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Lady Maria Conyngham (d. 1843) (2) Maria Jones (1831-1899) |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
William Meredyth Somerville, 1st Baron Athlumney, 1st Baron Meredyth PC (1802 – 7 December 1873), known as Sir William Somerville, Bt, between 1831 and 1863, was an Anglo-Irish Liberal politician. He was born in 1802.
Athlumney was the son of Sir Marcus Somerville, 4th Baronet of Somerville, in the County of Meath, and Mary Anne, daughter of Sir Richard Gorges-Meredyth, 1st Baronet. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford.
Athlumney was returned to Parliament for Drogheda in 1837, a seat he held until 1852, and served under Lord John Russell as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1846 to 1847 and as Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1847 to 1852 during the worst of the Great Famine. In 1847 he was sworn of the Privy Council. He lost his seat in the 1852 general election, but was successfully returned for Canterbury in 1854, and continued to represent this constituency until 1865. In 1863 he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Athlumney, of Somerville and Dollarstown in the County of Meath, and in 1866 he was further honoured when he was created Baron Meredyth, of Dollarstown in the County of Meath, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
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