Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond

Field Marshal His Grace The Duke of Richmond KG PC FRS
Portrait by George Romney, circa 1777
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
In office 23 May 1766 – 29 July 1766
Monarch	George III
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Rockingham
Preceded by	Henry Conway
Succeeded by	The Earl of Shelburne
Personal details
Born	22 February 1735(1735-02-22)
Died	29 December 1806(1806-12-29) (aged 71)
Spouse(s)	Mary Bruce
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1751-1806
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands	72nd Regiment of Foot, Colonel Royal Horse Guards, Colonel
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War
Awards	Knight of the Garter

Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 1758, by Sir Joshua Reynolds

Field Marshal Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 3rd Duke of Lennox, 3rd Duke of Aubigny, KG, PC, FRS (22 February 1735 – 29 December 1806), styled Earl of March until 1750, was a British politician and office holder noteworthy for his advanced views on the issue of parliamentary reform. He associated with the Rockingham Whigs and rose to hold the post of Southern Secretary.

Career

Lennox was styled Earl of March, his father's principal subsidary title, from birth, his early education was had at Westminster School and he succeeded his father as Duke of Richmond and Lennox in 1750.^[1] He had many sisters, including the Ladies Caroline Lennox, Emily Lennox, Louisa Lennox and Sarah Lennox. He was admitted a Fellow of the Royal Society on 11 December 1755.^[2]

Richmond was commissioned in the 2nd Foot Guards in 1751.^[1]

From 1756 to 1758 Richmond was the lieutenant-colonel of the 33rd Regiment of Foot.^[1] In 1757 a second battalion (2nd/33rd) had been raised and in 1758 this battalion became an independent regiment, the 72nd Regiment of Foot: Richmond was appointed Colonel of the new regiment^[1] and his younger brother George Lennox took command of the 33rd Regiment (1st/33rd).

He took part in the Raid on Cherbourg in 1758 and the Battle of Minden in 1759.^[1] The 72nd Regiment was disbanded in 1763 at the end of the Seven Years' War.^[3]

The Duke of Richmond was appointed British ambassador extraordinary in Paris in 1765,^[1] and in the following year he briefly served as Southern Secretary in the Rockingham Whig administration,^[1] resigning office on the accession to power of The Earl of Chatham.

Mary, Duchess of Richmond, by William Wynne Ryland after Angelica Kauffmann

In the debates on the policy that led to the War of American Independence Richmond was a firm supporter of the colonists,^[1] and he initiated the debate in 1778 calling for the removal of the troops from America, during which Chatham was seized by his fatal illness.^[1] He also advocated a policy of concession in Ireland, with reference to which he originated the phrase "a union of hearts" which long afterwards became famous when his use of it had been forgotten. In 1779 the duke brought forward a motion for retrenchment of the civil list; and in 1780 he embodied in a bill his proposals for parliamentary reform, which included manhood suffrage, annual parliaments and equal electoral areas.^[1]

Richmond sat in Rockingham's second cabinet as Master-General of the Ordnance,^[1] and in 1784 he joined the ministry of William Pitt. He now developed strongly Tory opinions, and his alleged desertion of the cause of reform led to a violent attack on him by Lauderdale in 1792, which nearly led to a duel between the two noblemen. Richmond died in December 1806, and, leaving no legitimate children, he was succeeded in the peerage by his nephew Charles, son of his brother, General Lord George Henry Lennox. The adjoining towns of Richmond and Lenox in Massachusetts were named in his honor.

He became a Privy Counsellor in 1765.

In retirement he built the famous racecourse at his the family seat at Goodwood.^[1] He was also a patron of artists such as George Stubbs, Pompeo Batoni, Anton Raphael Mengs, Joshua Reynolds, George Romney and George Smith of Chichester.^[4]

Ancestry

External links

• Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond at Genealogics
• Duke of Richmond @ Spartacus

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
2. ^ "Lists of Royal Society Fellows". http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?id=1727. Retrieved 2006-12-15. 
3. ^ History of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, (page 41), Brereton / Savoury, ISBN 0952155206
4. ^ Goodwood House painting collection.

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Military offices
New regiment	Colonel of the 72nd Regiment of Foot 1758–1763	Regiment disbanded
Preceded by The Viscount Townshend	Master-General of the Ordnance 1782–1783	Succeeded by The Viscount Townshend
Preceded by The Viscount Townshend	Master-General of the Ordnance 1784–1795	Succeeded by The Marquess Cornwallis
Preceded by Hon. Henry Seymour Conway	Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards 1795–1806	Succeeded by The Duke of Northumberland
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by The Earl of Hertford	British Ambassador to France 1765–1766	Succeeded by The Earl of Rochford
Political offices
Preceded by Hon. Henry Seymour Conway	Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1766	Succeeded by The Earl of Shelburne
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Egremont	Lord Lieutenant of Sussex 1763–1806	Succeeded by The Duke of Norfolk
Peerage of England
Preceded by Charles Lennox	Duke of Richmond 3rd creation 1750–1806	Succeeded by Charles Lennox
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Charles Lennox	Duke of Lennox 2nd creation 1750–1806	Succeeded by Charles Lennox
French nobility
Preceded by Charles Lennox	Duke of Aubigny 1777–1806	Succeeded by Charles Lennox

Persondata
Name	Richmond, Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of
Alternative names	Earl of March
Short description
Date of birth	22 February 1735
Place of birth
Date of death	29 December 1806
Place of death