Lionel Dawson-Damer, 4th Earl of Portarlington

Lionel Seymour William Dawson-Damer, 4th Earl of Portarlington DL (7 April 1832 – 17 December 1892), known as Lionel Dawson-Damer until 1889, was a British peer and Conservative politician.

The Earl of Portarlington
Photograph of Dawson-Damer, 1860s
Member of Parliament for Portarlington
In office
1868–1880
Preceded byJames Anthony Lawson
Succeeded byHon. Bernard FitzPatrick
In office
1857–1865
Preceded byFrancis Plunkett Dunne
Succeeded byJames Anthony Lawson
Personal details
Born
Lionel Seymour William Dawson-Damer

(1832-04-07)7 April 1832
Died17 December 1892(1892-12-17) (aged 60)
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Hon. Harriett Lydia Montagu
(after 1855)
Children3
Parent(s)Hon. George Dawson-Damer
Mary Georgiana Emma Seymour

Early life

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"Hippy"
Dawson-Damer as caricatured by James Tissot in Vanity Fair, November 1871

Portarlington was the only son of the Hon. George Dawson-Damer and the former Mary Georgiana Emma Seymour.[1] Among his siblings were Lady Georgiana (wife of the 3rd Earl Fortescue) and Lady Constance (wife of Sir John Leslie, 1st Baronet).[2]

His father was a younger son of John Dawson, 1st Earl of Portarlington and Lady Caroline Stuart (a daughter of Prime Minister John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute).[3] His maternal grandparents were Lord Hugh Seymour (a younger son of the 1st Marquess of Hertford) and the former Lady Anne Horatia Waldegrave (a daughter of the 2nd Earl Waldegrave).[4]

According to a private letter between Louisa and Eddy Eliot, dated 27 September 1841, their brother's friend "Seymour Damer is gone to school in Liverpool".

Career

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Portarlington was returned to Parliament for the Portarlington constituency in 1857, a seat he held until 1865 and again between 1868 and 1880. In 1889 he succeeded his cousin Henry as fourth Earl of Portarlington. However, as this was an Irish peerage he was not allowed to take a seat in the House of Lords.

He was promoted from cornet to lieutenant in the Dorsetshire Yeomanry on 20 April 1858.[5]

Personal life

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Lord Portarlington married the Hon. Harriett Lydia Montagu, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Henry Montagu, 6th Baron Rokeby, on 19 April 1855. Together, they were the parents of several children, including:[4]

He died on 17 December 1892, aged 60, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son, Lionel George. Lady Portarlington died in November 1894.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Companionage: Comprising Information Concerning All Persons Bearing Hereditary Or Courtesy Titles, Knights, and Companions of All the Various Orders, and the Collateral Branches of All Peers and Baronets. Dean & Son, Limited. 1902. p. 655. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  2. ^ Wilkins, William Henry (1905). Mrs. Fitzherbert and George IV. Longmans, Green and Company. p. 176. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  3. ^ Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. Burke's Peerage Limited. 1830. p. 611. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 3180.
  5. ^ "No. 22130". The London Gazette. 23 April 1858. p. 2004.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Portarlington
1857–1865
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Portarlington
1868–1880
Succeeded by
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Earl of Portarlington
1889–1892
Succeeded by