John Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield

John Arthur Douglas Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield, GCB, PC, DL (12 November 1802 – 17 August 1879) was a British peer and diplomatist.[1]

Contents

Background

Bloomfield was the eldest son of Benjamin Bloomfield, 1st Baron Bloomfield and his wife Hariott, the oldest daughter of John Douglas.[2] He was educated privately and at the young age of sixteen, he became an attaché to Vienna.[1]

Career

From 1824, Bloomfield was attaché at Lisbon and was transferred as secretary of legation to Stuttgart in the following year.[1] He was sent to Stockholm in 1826 and came as secretary of embassy to St Petersburg in 1839.[1] Five years later, he was promoted to envoy.[1] In 1846, he succeeded his father as baron and in 1848, he was awarded a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).[1]

Bloomfield was appointed ambassador to Berlin in 1851 and on this occasion was advanced to a Knight Commander (KCB).[1] In 1858, he was further honoured as a Knight Grand Cross (GBC).[1] He reached his highest post as ambassador to Vienna in 1860 and was sworn of the Privy Council.[1] On his retirement in 1871, he was created Baron Bloomfield, this time in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which enabled him to a seat in the House of Lords.[1] He represented County Tipperary as a Deputy Lieutenant.[2]

Marriage and death

On 4 September 1845, Bloomfield had married Hon. Georgiana Liddell, the youngest child of Thomas Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth and a former maid of honour to Queen Victoria.[1] He died childess in 1879 at his home, Ciamhaltha, near Newport, County Tipperary and his titles became extinct.[1] Bloomfield was buried in his family's vault at Borrisnafarney parish Church, beside the Loughton Demense and Moneygall, in County Offaly. An impressive memorial exists in the church in his memory.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cokayne et al., The Complete Peerage, volume II, p.194
  2. ^ a b Dod, Robert P. (1860). The Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Whitaker and Co.. pp. 122. 
Court offices
Preceded by
Frederick Turner
Page of Honour
1816 – 1818
Succeeded by
Arthur Wellesley
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
The Lord Stuart de Rothesay
(as Ambassador)
British Minister to Russia
1844 – 1851
Succeeded by
Sir George Seymour
Preceded by
The Earl of Westmorland
British Minister to Prussia
1851 – 1860
Succeeded by
Lord Augustus Loftus
Preceded by
Lord Augustus Loftus
British Ambassador to Austria
(Austria-Hungary from 1867)

1860 – 1871
Succeeded by
Sir Andrew Buchanan
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by
Benjamin Bloomfield
Baron Bloomfield
1846 – 1879
Extinct
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baron Bloomfield
1871 – 1879
Extinct