Author: Howard, George William Frederick
Biography:
HOWARD, George William Frederick (1802-64: ODNB)
He was born in London on 18 Apr. 1802, the eldest of twelve children and heir to the earldom of Carlisle. His father George Howard (1773-1848) became the sixth earl in 1825 at which point he was given the courtesy title of Viscount Morpeth, by which he was known until he himself succeeded to the title as seventh earl in 1848. His mother, Georgiana Dorothy (Cavendish) Howard (1783-1858) was a daughter of the Duke of Devonshire. He was educated at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford (matric. 1819, BA 1823, MA 1827), where he won prizes for both English and Latin verse. He never married, but had an active career in parliament as a Whig MP from 1826 to 1841 and again 1846-8, after which he took his seat in the House of Lords in 1849. His views were in general moderately reformist: he opposed slavery and supported public health, public education, religious toleration, and parliamentary reform. He took a special interest in the affairs of Ireland as Chief Secretary of Ireland 1835-41, then as Lord Lieutenant 1855-64 (with a short gap 1858-9 when his party was out of office). He was obliged at last to resign the post on account of ill health. He died at Castle Howard, Yorkshire, on 5 Dec. 1864 and was buried in the family mausoleum on the grounds. His publications include pamphlets and speeches on current affairs; lectures on behalf of mechanics’ institutes and public education; and diaries of his travels in Greece and Turkey (1855), and in America (1851). His sister Lady Caroline Lascelles edited a posthumous selection from his journals (1865?). As late as 1858 he was still writing verse; in that year he published The Second Vision of Daniel. (ODNB 13 Dec. 2022; Alumni Oxonienses) HJ
Other Names:
- G. W. F. Howard
- Lord Morpeth
- G. Howard