William Lowther (diplomat)
Encyclopedia
William Lowther was a British
diplomat
and Conservative
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1892.
Lowther was the second son of the Hon. Henry Lowther
and his wife Lady Lucy Eleanor, daughter of 5th Earl of Harborough
. He was educated privately and at Magdalene College, Cambridge
.
Lowther entered the diplomatic service, and was unpaid Attache to the British embassy in Berlin
from 1841 to 1846 and then a paid Attache at the Berlin Embassy from 1846 to 1852. He was Secretary of the Legation at Naples
from 1852 to 1858, at St Petersburg from 1858 to 1859 and at Berlin from 1859 to 1861. He was Secretary of the Embassy at Berlin from 1861 to 1867 and finally Minister to Argentina
at Buenos Aires
from 1857 to 1868.
After his return from Argentina, Lowther decided to build a new house in London. He bought land in Kensington
, and there erected Lowther Lodge
, an exemplar of Queen Anne Style architecture
. The cost was partly defrayed by a bequest from his uncle William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale
, who died in 1872. He and his wife lived there until his death in 1912; his son Lord Ullswater
sold it to the Royal Geographical Society
shortly thereafter. He was a J.P.
and a Deputy Lieutenant
for Westmoreland and Cumberland and a J.P. for Bedfordshire and Suffolk. He was a director of the London and North Western Railway
.
At the 1868 general election
Lowther was elected Member of Parliament
for Westmorland
. He held the seat until 1885 when it was divided under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
. He was then elected MP for Appleby
. He held the seat until 1892.
Lowther married (Charlotte) Alice Parke (d. 1908), daughter of James Parke, 1st Baron Wensleydale
on 17 December 1853. They had seven children including
James William Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater (1855–1949), Sir Gerard Augustus Lowther, 1st Baronet (1858–1916) and Sir Henry Cecil Lowther
(1869–1940). Lowther was the younger brother of Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale
. Lowther and his wife lived at Lowther Lodge until his death in 1912. Their son Lord Ullswater
sold Lowther Lodge to the Royal Geographical Society
shortly thereafter.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1892.
Lowther was the second son of the Hon. Henry Lowther
Henry Lowther (politician)
Henry Cecil Lowther, DL, JP was an English Conservative politician and an amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1819 to 1843...
and his wife Lady Lucy Eleanor, daughter of 5th Earl of Harborough
Earl of Harborough
Lord Sherard, Baron of Leitrim, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1627 for Sir William Sherard, of Stapleford, Leicestershire. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Baron. He sat as Member of Parliament for Leicestershire and served as Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire...
. He was educated privately and at Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
.
Lowther entered the diplomatic service, and was unpaid Attache to the British embassy in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
from 1841 to 1846 and then a paid Attache at the Berlin Embassy from 1846 to 1852. He was Secretary of the Legation at Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
from 1852 to 1858, at St Petersburg from 1858 to 1859 and at Berlin from 1859 to 1861. He was Secretary of the Embassy at Berlin from 1861 to 1867 and finally Minister to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
at Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
from 1857 to 1868.
After his return from Argentina, Lowther decided to build a new house in London. He bought land in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, and there erected Lowther Lodge
Lowther Lodge
Lowther Lodge is a house in South Kensington, London, England, immediately south of Hyde Park. It was designed by Richard Norman Shaw and built between approximately 1872 and 1875. It is an important example of Victorian Queen Anne architecture, with gothic influences...
, an exemplar of Queen Anne Style architecture
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
. The cost was partly defrayed by a bequest from his uncle William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale
William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale
William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale PC, FRS , styled Viscount Lowther between 1807 and 1844, was a British Tory politician.-Background:...
, who died in 1872. He and his wife lived there until his death in 1912; his son Lord Ullswater
James Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater
James William Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater, GCB, PC, JP, DL was a British Conservative politician. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons between 1905 and 1921.-Background and education:The son of Hon...
sold it to the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
shortly thereafter. He was a J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Westmoreland and Cumberland and a J.P. for Bedfordshire and Suffolk. He was a director of the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
.
At the 1868 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
Lowther was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Westmorland
Westmorland (UK Parliament constituency)
Westmorland was a constituency covering the county of Westmorland in the North of England, which returned Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The constituency had two separate periods of existence....
. He held the seat until 1885 when it was divided under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
. He was then elected MP for Appleby
Appleby (UK Parliament constituency)
Appleby was a parliamentary constituency in the former county of Westmorland in England. It existed for two separate periods: from 1295 to 1832, and from 1885 to 1918....
. He held the seat until 1892.
Lowther married (Charlotte) Alice Parke (d. 1908), daughter of James Parke, 1st Baron Wensleydale
James Parke, 1st Baron Wensleydale
James Parke, 1st Baron Wensleydale PC was a British barrister and judge. After an education at The King's School, Macclesfield and Trinity College, Cambridge he studied under a special pleader, before being called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1813...
on 17 December 1853. They had seven children including
James William Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater (1855–1949), Sir Gerard Augustus Lowther, 1st Baronet (1858–1916) and Sir Henry Cecil Lowther
Cecil Lowther
Major-General Sir Cecil Lowther, KCMG, CB, CVO, DSO, FRGS was a British general and Conservative politician, the fourth son of William Lowther....
(1869–1940). Lowther was the younger brother of Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale
Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale
Henry Lowther, 3rd Earl of Lonsdale was a British nobleman and Conservative politician, the eldest son of Henry Cecil Lowther and Lady Lucy Sherard.He married Emily Susan Caulfeild on 31 July 1852. They had six children:...
. Lowther and his wife lived at Lowther Lodge until his death in 1912. Their son Lord Ullswater
James Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater
James William Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater, GCB, PC, JP, DL was a British Conservative politician. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons between 1905 and 1921.-Background and education:The son of Hon...
sold Lowther Lodge to the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
shortly thereafter.