Lord Robert Montagu

Lord Robert Montagu PC (24 January 1825 – 6 May 1902), was a British Conservative politician. He served as Vice-President of the Committee on Education between 1867 and 1868.

The Right Honourable Lord Robert Montagu PC
Vice-President of the Committee on Education
In office 19 March 1867 – 1 December 1868
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Earl of Derby Benjamin Disraeli
Preceded by	Hon. Henry Lowry-Corry
Succeeded by	William Edward Forster
Personal details
Born	24 January 1825 Melchbourne, Bedfordshire
Died	6 May 1902 (aged 77) South Kensington, London
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	(1) Ellen Cromie (1825-1857) (2) Elizabeth Wade (1839-1908)
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge

Background and education

Montagu was born at Melchbourne, Bedfordshire[1] the second son of George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester by his first wife Millicent, daughter of Robert Bernard Sparrow. William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester, was his elder brother.[2] He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and graduated with an MA in 1849.[3]

Political career

"A Working Conservative"
As depicted by "Ape" (Carlo Pellegrini) in Vanity Fair, 1 October 1870

Montagu sat as Member of Parliament for Huntingdonshire from 1859 to 1874[4] and for Westmeath from February 1874 until he retired in 1880.[5] He held office under the Earl of Derby and Benjamin Disraeli as Vice-President of the Committee on Education from March 1867 until the fall of the government in December 1868[6] and was sworn of the Privy Council in 1867.[7] He was an advocate of protectionist policies.[8] He was a member of the Carlton Club and the Athenaeum Club.

Family

Montagu married firstly Ellen Cromie, born in 1825, daughter of John Cromie, at Dublin on 12 February 1850. They had four children although their first son, John, died as a child. Ellen died aged 32 on 11 July 1857 at Portstewart, County Londonderry. Montagu remarried in London on 18 October 1862 to Elizabeth Wade (Holton, Suffolk, 15 May 1839 – London, 29 December 1908), daughter of William Wade of Holton, Suffolk, and had six more children. This second marriage scandalized society, since the former Betsy Wade had been a housemaid when Montagu met her.[9] Montagu died 6 May 1902[1] at 91 Queens Gate, South Kensington, London[10] and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.[11] He was survived by his wife, three children and one grandson.

References

1. van de Pas, Leo. 'Descendants of Henry VIII, King of England', Worldroots.com Retrieved 13 April 2005 Archived 15 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
2. thepeerage.com Lord Robert Montagu
3. "Montagu, Lord Robert (MNTG845LR)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
4. "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Horncastle to Hythe". Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
5. "leighrayment.com House of Commons: West Lothian to Widnes". Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
6. "No. 23234". The London Gazette. 29 March 1867. p. 1979.
7. leighrayment.com Privy Counsellors 1836-1914
8. Pearce, Charles T. Essay on Vaccination. London: Bailliere, 1868.
9. Watt, George. The Fallen Woman in the Nineteenth-Century Novel. New Jersey: Barnes and Noble, 1984, pg. 63.
10. Illustrated London News, 28 June 1902
11. "Notable people buried in Kensal Green Cemetery", Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery. Retrieved 13 April 2005 Archived 16 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord Robert Montagu