Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond and Lennox,
KG, FRS, PC (
22 February, 1735 –
29 December, 1806) was one of the most remarkable men of the 18th century, being chiefly famous for his advanced views on the question of parliamentary reform.
Charles Lennox was educated at
Westminster School and succeeded his father to the peerage in
1750. 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.
From
1756 to
1758 Charles Lennox was the
Colonel of the
33rd Regiment of Foot. In
1757 a second
battalion (2nd/33rd) had been raised and in 1758 this battalion became an independent regiment, the
72nd Regiment of Foot. Charles Lennox was appointed Colonel of the new regiment and his younger brother
George Lennox took command of the 33rd Regiment (1st/33rd). The 72nd Regiment was disbanded in
1763 at the end of the
Seven Years' War.<ref>History of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, (page 41), Brereton / Savoury, ISBN 0952155206</REF>
Charles Lennox was appointed British ambassador extraordinary in
Paris in
1765, and in the following year he became a
secretary of state in the
Rockingham Whig administration, resigning office on the accession to power of the
Earl of Chatham.
In the debates on the policy that led to the
War of American Independence Richmond was a firm supporter of the colonists; 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. 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.
Richmond sat in Rockingham's second cabinet as
Master-General of the Ordnance; 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.
rss feed