William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster
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William FitzGerald, 2nd Duke of Leinster (13 March 1749 – 20 October 1804) KP, PC (I), was an Irish liberal politician and landowner.
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[edit] Family
He was the second, but eldest surviving, son of James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster and the well-connected Lady Emily Mary Lennox. On 4 November 1775 he married Hon. Emilia Olivia St. George, daughter of St. George Usher St. George, Baron St. George and Elizabeth Dominick.[1] He was also the elder brother of the 1790s revolutionary Lord Edward FitzGerald, and was a first cousin of the English liberal politician Charles James Fox.
His homes were at Carton in County Kildare and Leinster House in Dublin. He was a founder member of the Order of St Patrick in 1783 and of the Royal Irish Academy (1785), and was a large investor in the Royal Canal company launched in 1790. His family's estates of 60,000 acres (25,000 Ha) in Kildare were in three parts, around Maynooth, Rathangan and Athy. He rebuilt the main bridge in Athy over the River Barrow.
[edit] Politics
After making his Grand Tour in 1768-69, he entered the Irish parliament as an MP in 1769 until 1773 when he took on his father's title and estates. Politically he was a liberal supporter of Henry Grattan and co-founded the Irish Whig Club in 1789. He controlled usually six Kildare members of the Irish House of Commons. He supported Catholic Emancipation and helped to found the Catholic seminary at Maynooth in 1795. Withdrawing from parliament with Grattan in 1797, he moved to England to be with his sick wife and remained there during the 1798 rebellion.
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| Parliament of Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Grattan and Charles Lucas |
Member of Parliament for Dublin City (two seat constituency) with Charles Lucas 1767-71, William Clement 1771-73 1767–1771 |
Succeeded by William Clement and Redmond Morres |
| Preceded by Henry Sandford and Garret FitzGerald |
Member of Parliament for Kildare Borough (two seat constituency) with Maurice Keating 1768–1769 |
Succeeded by Simon Digby and Joseph Henry |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by James FitzGerald |
Duke of Leinster 1773–1804 |
Succeeded by Augustus FitzGerald |
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