Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam (1 August 1745 – 4 February 1816) was an Irish Viscount in the FitzWilliam family who was a benefactor and musical antiquarian. He founded the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England, with a bequest of his library and art collection on his death in 1816. He was also a significant developer of his time in Dublin, Ireland.
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Richard FitzWilliam was baptised on 22 August 1745. He was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, receiving an MA in 1764.[1] He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1789 and elected the second Member of Parliament for Wilton in Wiltshire from 1790 to 1806 when it still had two representatives.
He developed part of southeast Dublin in the Georgian style. This included:
Richard FitzWilliam mainly lived in Richmond near London, but he made frequent visits to Mount Merrion House, south of Dublin. He left his large Irish estates to his first cousin's son, the 11th Earl of Pembroke, and his art collection and library to the University of Cambridge, together with funds to house them; this formed the Fitzwilliam Museum.[2]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Gerard Hamilton Lord Herbert |
Member of Parliament for Wilton 1790 – 1800 With: Lord Herbert to 1794 Philip Goldsworthy from 1794 |
Succeeded by Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Parliament of Great Britain |
Member of Parliament for Wilton 1801 – Feb 1806 With: Philip Goldsworthy to 1801 John Spencer 1801–1804 Ralph Sheldon from 1804 |
Succeeded by Charles Herbert Ralph Sheldon |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by Richard Fitzwilliam |
Viscount FitzWilliam 1776–1816 |
Succeeded by John FitzWilliam |