Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston

Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston, FRS, was born on 4 December 1739. He was a member of the British aristocracy and the Anglo-Irish Ascendancy, with his family owning a substantial estate in northern County Sligo, Ireland. Temple was the son of Henry Temple and Jane, daughter of Sir John Barnard, who served as Lord Mayor of London. Upon the death of his grandfather, Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston, he succeeded to the peerage in 1757.

His education included attendance at Clare College, Cambridge, from 1757 to 1759. Throughout his political career, he served as a Member of Parliament representing multiple constituencies:

- East Looe (1762–1768)

- Southampton (1768–1774)

- Hastings (1774–1784)

- Boroughbridge (1784–1790)

- Newport, Isle of Wight (1790–1796)

- Winchester (1796–1802)

In 1765, Temple was appointed to the Board of Trade. He held the position of Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty from 1766 to 1777 and served as a Lord of the Treasury from 1777 until 1782.

In 1763, Temple undertook a journey to Italy, traveling through France and staying with Voltaire at Ferney en route. In 1764, he arrived in Rome and visited Paestum, located south of Naples. During this period, Temple acquired various artworks and antiquities from notable artists and collectors, including Gavin Hamilton, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Angelica Kauffman, Giovanni Pichler, and Joseph Nollekens.

Henry Temple died on 17 April 1802 at his residence in Hanover Square, Westminster. He was buried at Romsey Abbey, where a monument designed by John Flaxman commemorates him. His family included his wife and children. His son, Henry John Temple, became the 3rd Viscount Palmerston and served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century.

A portrait of Henry Temple painted by Angelica Kauffman is preserved at Broadlands, Hampshire.