William Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl of Kerry

William Thomas Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl of Kerry (30 March 1811 – 21 August 1836), styled Earl of Wycombe between 1811 and 1818, was a British heir and Whig politician.

Background

Kerry was born at Lansdowne House, London, the eldest son of Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne, and Lady Louisa Emma, daughter of Henry Fox-Strangways, 2nd Earl of Ilchester.

Political career

Kerry was returned to Parliament for Calne in 1832, a seat he held until his early death four years later.[1]

Family

Lord Kerry married Lady Augusta Lavinia Priscilla, daughter of John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough, in 1834. They had one daughter, Mary, who married Percy Egerton Herbert. Lord Kerry died at Lansdowne House, London, in August 1836, aged 25. His younger brother Henry later succeeded in the marquessate. Lady Kerry later remarried and died in November 1904, aged 90.

Research in 2012 suggested that Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) might be a collateral descendant of prime minister William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (1737–1805), who is the grandfather of Lord Kerry. The connection might be through Lady Bullock, née Barbara May Lupton (1891–1974) who is the Duchess' second cousin, thrice removed.[2]

References
  1. leighrayment.com[Usurped!]
  2. Nikkhah, Roya (16 December 2012). "Duchess discovers blue blood in her own family". Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 26 January 2014. The Duchess' family tree has uncovered her link to William Petty FitzMaurice, the 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, who served as prime minister from 1782 to 1783 and is best remembered by historians for negotiating the end of the American War of Independence.
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