Henry Pellew, 6th Viscount Exmouth

Henry Edward Pellew, 6th Viscount Exmouth (26 April 1828 – 4 February 1923), was a British peer who later became a naturalized United States citizen. He inherited the title of Viscount Exmouth in August 1922 from his distant cousin, Edward Pellew, 5th Viscount Exmouth, who died without descendants. Pellew held the peerage for less than a year before his death.

Born in Canterbury, Kent, Pellew was the only son of George Pellew, Dean of Norwich, and Frances Addington, a daughter of Viscount Sidmouth. His paternal grandfather was Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, a British admiral known for his service during the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars. Henry Pellew received his education at Eton College before attending Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1850. During his time at Cambridge, he was a rower for the University Boat Club and participated in the 1849 Boat Race against Oxford.

He was one of the founders of Keble College, Oxford, and served on its council from its establishment in 1870 until 1873. Additionally, Pellew served as a magistrate for Middlesex and was involved in various charitable organizations, hospitals, and schools in London.

In 1858, Pellew married Eliza Constable Jay, daughter of Judge William Jay and granddaughter of John Jay. The couple had three children: William Henry Edward George Pellew (1859–1892), who died unmarried in New York City; Charles Pellew, who became the 7th Viscount Exmouth (1863–1945), a professor of chemistry at Columbia University; and Violet Lisa Mary Pellew (1869–1870), who died in infancy. Eliza Jay died in 1869 in England.

In 1873, Pellew married Augusta Jay, sister of his first wife, in Vienna. This marriage was not recognized as legally valid in England. Following this, Pellew moved to the United States and became a naturalized American citizen on 25 September 1877. They had a daughter, Marion Jay Pellew (1878–1954).

Pellew was active in charitable work in the United States, particularly in New York City and Washington, D.C. He contributed to the organization of the Bureau of Charities in New York, working with Theodore Roosevelt, and supported initiatives such as coffee houses for the poor, free lending libraries, and night shelters. He was involved with the Association for Improving the Conditions of the Poor, the St. George Society, and other organizations focused on sanitation and education. Pellew also helped plan the Washington National Cathedral.

In later life, Pellew's inheritance of the peerage prompted efforts to renounce his title in favor of his son, Charles Pellew, but he was advised that such renunciation was not permissible under British regulations. Despite holding the peerage, Pellew preferred to be known as "Mr. Henry Edward Pellew."

He passed away in Washington, D.C., in 1923. Funeral services were held at St. John's Church, and he was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington. A memorial plaque honoring him is located at St. James Church in Christow, Devon, describing his contributions to community and welfare.

He was succeeded in his peerage by his son, Charles Pellew.