Arthur Stuart, 7th Earl Castle Stewart

"Arthur Stuart" redirects here. For other uses, see Arthur Stuart (disambiguation).

Arthur Stuart, 7th Earl Castle Stewart, MC (6 August 1889 5 November 1961), styled Viscount Stuart from 1915 to 1921, was an Anglo-Irish peer and Unionist politician.

Background and education

Stuart was the third son of Andrew John Stuart, 6th Earl Castle Stewart, an Ulster Scots nobleman, and his wife, Emma Georgiana Diana, the youngest daughter of Major-General Arthur Stevens (1821-1895) of the Madras Native Infantry and his second wife (of five), Georgiana Eliza Dickson, a descendant of John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby.[1] The Stuart family descends in the male line from King Robert II of Scotland. He was educated at Charterhouse, Trinity College, Cambridge and the University of Paris.

Military and political career

Stuart fought in the First World War as a Major in the Machine Gun Corps, was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Military Cross. His two elder brothers were both killed in the First World War and in 1921 he succeeded his father as seventh Earl Castle Stewart. However, as this was an Irish peerage it did not entitle him to a seat in the House of Lords. He was elected to the House of Commons for Harborough in 1929 as a Conservative and Unionist, a seat he held until 1933.

Family

Lord Castle Stewart married Eleanor May, daughter of Solomon Guggenheim, in 1920. They had four sons, of whom the two eldest were killed in the Second World War. He committed suicide with a shotgun in his study at Old Lodge, his house and estate at Ashdown Forest near Uckfield on 5 November 1961,[2] aged 72, and was succeeded in his titles by his third son, Arthur. Eleanor, Dowager Countess Castle Stewart died in 1992. After her death, Old Lodge was sold to H.H. Torki M Bin Saud Al Kabeer, a member of the royal house of Saudi Arabia.

References

  1. Phillips-Evans, James. The Longcrofts: 500 Years of a British Family, Amazon (2012)
  2. The Irish Times, 8 November 1961; Phillips-Evans, James. The Longcrofts: 500 Years of a British Family, Amazon (2012)

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Lewis Phillips Winby
Member of Parliament for Harborough
19291933
Succeeded by
Ronald Tree
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by
Andrew John Stuart
Earl Castle Stewart
1921–1961
Succeeded by
Arthur Patrick Avondale Stuart