Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond

Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, and 1st Duke of Gordon KG, PC (27 February 1818 – 27 September 1903), styled Lord Settrington until 1819 and Earl of March between 1819 and 1860, was a British Conservative politician.

Background and education

Born at Richmond House, London, he was the son of Charles Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond and Lennox and Lady Caroline, daughter of Field Marshal Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey. He was educated at Westminster and Christ Church, Oxford, where he had a short career as a cricketer. He served in the Royal Horse Guards and was aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington.

Political career

March entered politics as member for Sussex West in 1841. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1859. In 1860, he succeeded his father as Duke of Richmond and entered the House of Lords. He chaired the Royal Commission on Capital Punishment, which reported in 1866, and the Royal Commission on Water Supply in 1869, which concluded that there was a need for some sort of overall planning of water supplies for domestic use. He was made a Knight of the Garter in 1867, and filled various positions in government. He was also Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen from 1861 until his death at Gordon Castle in 1903.

Family

Richmond married Frances Harriett Greville, daughter of Algernon Greville, on 28 November 1843. They had six children:

• Lady Caroline Gordon-Lennox (12 October 1844 – 2 November 1934), died unmarried
• Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond (1845–1928)
• Lord Algernon Charles Gordon-Lennox (19 September 1847 – 3 October 1921), married Blanche Maynard and had issue one daughter, Ivy Gordon-Lennox, (16 June 1887 – 3 March 1982), who m. William Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland.
• Captain Lord Francis Charles Gordon-Lennox (30 July 1849 – 1 January 1886), died unmarried
• Lady Florence Gordon-Lennox (21 June 1851 – 21 July 1895), died unmarried
• Lord Walter Charles Gordon-Lennox (29 July 1865 – 21 October 1922), married Alice Ogilvie-Grant and had issue

Ancestry