Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley

Henry Richard Charles Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley (17 June 1804 – 15 July 1884), was a British diplomat who served as the British Ambassador to France from 1852 to 1867. He was known as The Lord Cowley between 1847 and 1857.

== Background and Education ==

Wellesley was born in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, in 1804. He was the eldest son of Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley, and Lady Charlotte Cadogan, daughter of Charles Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan. He was a nephew of the 1st Duke of Wellington and the 1st Marquess Wellesley. His education included attendance at Eton College and Brasenose College, Oxford.

== Diplomatic Career ==

Wellesley entered the diplomatic service in 1824. In 1845, he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Empire. In June 1851, he became Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the German Confederation, though this role was brief. In 1852, he succeeded Lord Normanby as the British ambassador in Paris, a position he held until 1867.

As ambassador during the reign of Napoleon III, Wellesley's diplomatic activities included managing negotiations between Britain and France during various international developments, such as the eastern conflicts preceding and following the Crimean War. He was involved in handling the tensions arising from the 1858 attempt on Napoleon III’s life by Felice Orsini and in overseeing Britain’s diplomatic stance during the Franco-Austrian war and subsequent Italian events.

In 1857, Wellesley was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Dangan in County Meath and as Earl Cowley. He was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1866. He played a notable role in facilitating the commercial treaty between Great Britain and France in 1860, in cooperation with Richard Cobden. Wellesley retired from his diplomatic role in 1867.

== Personal Life ==

On 22 October 1833, Wellesley married the Hon. Olivia Cecilia, daughter of the 20th Baroness de Ros and Lord Henry FitzGerald, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Olivia died in 1885. They had five children: three sons and two daughters.

Their children included William Henry Wellesley, who became the 2nd Earl Cowley, and daughters Lady Feodorowna Cecilia, Lady Sophia Georgiana Robertina, who married Charles Philip Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke, and others. Their youngest son, Colonel Hon. Frederick Arthur, served in the Royal Navy and married Emma Anne Caroline Bloomfield Loftus; after their divorce, he married actress Kate Vaughan, with whom he separated in 1897.

In 1904, Wellesley married Evelyn Katrine Gwenfra Wellesley, Dowager Duchess of Wellington (née Williams). She was the daughter of Thomas Peers Williams, MP, and widow of Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington.

== Later Life and Estate ==

In 1863, Wellesley inherited the former Long family estate of Draycot Cerne in Wiltshire from his relative, the 5th Earl of Mornington. He retired from diplomatic service in 1867. He owned nearly 6,000 acres of land. Wellesley died on 15 July 1884 at Albemarle Street, London. His titles were succeeded by his eldest son, William.

His descendants included Sir Victor Wellesley, grandson through his youngest son.