Edward Littleton, 1st Baron Hatherton

Edward John Littleton, 1st Baron Hatherton (March 18, 1791 – May 4, 1863), was a British politician, of first the Tories and later the Whigs.

Littleton was born Edward Walhouse, and was educated at Rugby and at Brasenose College, Oxford. In 1812, he took the name of Littleton in order to inherit the property of his great-uncle Sir Edward Littleton, 4th and last Baronet, of Pillaton Hall. Littleton also took over his great-uncle's parliamentary seat. From 1812 to 1832, he was Member of Parliament for Staffordshire and then was the MP for the southern division of that county until 1835. He spent most of that time as a Canningite Tory, but moved over to the Whigs after George Canning's death in 1827. In the House of Commons, Littleton was especially prominent as an advocate of Roman Catholic emancipation.

In January 1833, against his own wish, he was put forward by the Radicals as a candidate for the office of speaker, but he was not elected and in May 1833 he became chief secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the ministry of Earl Grey. His duties in this capacity brought him frequently into conflict with O'Connell, but he was obviously unequal to the great Irishman, although he told his colleagues to "leave me to manage Dan."

He had to deal with the vexed and difficult question of the Irish tithes on which the government was divided, and with his colleagues had to face the problem of a new coercion act. Rather hastily he made a compact with O'Connell on the assumption that the new act could not contain certain clauses which were part of the old act. The clauses, however, were inserted; O'Connell charged Littleton with deception; and in July 1834 Grey, Althorp (afterwards Earl Spencer) and the Irish secretary resigned.

The two latter were induced to serve under the new premier, Lord Melbourne, and they remained in office until Melbourne was dismissed in November 1834.

In 1835 Littleton was raised to the peerage as Baron Hatherton, of Hatherton in the County of Stafford. He later served as Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire between 1854 and 1863.

Lord Hatherton married Lady Hyacinthe Mary Wellesley, daughter of the Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, in October 1812. He died at his Staffordshire residence, Teddesley Hall, in May 1863, aged 72, and was succeeded in the barony by his son Edward.

References

* Reeve, H. (ed.) "Memoirs and Correspondence relating to Political Occurrences, June-July 1834". London : 1872.
* Walpole, Sir Spencer. "History of England", vol. iii. (1890).
*1911
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). "Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage" (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
* [http://www.angeltowns.com/town/peerage/ Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page]