Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 4th Marquess Of Lansdowne

Henry Thomas Petty-Fitzmaurice, 4th Marquess of Lansdowne, was born on 7 January 1816 and died on 5 July 1866. He was known prior to 1836 as Lord Henry Petty-FitzMaurice and from 1836 to 1863 as Earl of Shelburne. He was a member of the British aristocracy and political figure during the 19th century.

He was the second son of Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne, and Lady Louisa Emma Fox-Strangways, daughter of Henry Fox-Strangways, 2nd Earl of Ilchester. His early education took place at Westminster School, followed by studies at Trinity College, Cambridge. Upon the early death of his elder brother, the Earl of Kerry, in 1836, he adopted the courtesy title Earl of Shelburne.

In 1837, after completing his education, he became a Member of Parliament representing Calne. His political career included serving as a Lord of the Treasury from 1847 to 1848 under Prime Minister Lord John Russell. In 1856, he was summoned to the House of Lords via his father's barony of Wycombe. That same year, he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Lord Palmerston, a position he held until 1858.

Following the death of his father in 1863, he succeeded to the titles of Marquess of Lansdowne and other peerages. In 1864, he was appointed a Knight of the Garter. His contemporaries, including historian Simon Kerry, regarded him as a capable administrator, although they noted he lacked the charisma associated with his father.

In the political landscape of 1866, he was associated with the Adullamites, a group opposing Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone's reform bill. His opposition contributed to the fall of Earl Russell's Liberal government.

Regarding his family life, Lord Lansdowne married Lady Georgiana Herbert, daughter of the 11th Earl of Pembroke, on 18 August 1840. She died six months later. He remarried on 1 November 1843 in Vienna to Comtesse Emily de Flahault, the eldest daughter of Charles Joseph, comte de Flahaut, and the 2nd Baroness Keith. They had three children: Henry Charles Keith, Earl of Shelburne (later Marquess of Lansdowne), born in 1845; Lord Edmond George, born in 1846; and Lady Emily Louisa Anne, born in 1855. Lady Emily married Colonel Hon. Everard Digby, with whom she had issue.

Lord Lansdowne died suddenly from an attack of apoplexy on 5 July 1866. His titles were inherited by his eldest son, Henry.