Frederick Lambton, 4th Earl Of Durham

Frederick William Lambton, 4th Earl of Durham, was born on 19 June 1855 and died on 31 January 1929. He was a British hereditary peer and a politician affiliated initially with the Liberal Party, later associated with the Liberal Unionists.

Early Life and Family Background:

Lambton was the second son of George Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham, and Lady Beatrix Frances Hamilton. Lady Beatrix was the daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn. He had a twin brother, John Lambton, 3rd Earl of Durham, whom he succeeded in the earldom in 1928.

Education and Military Service:

Details about his education are not specified. He attained the rank of Lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards, a regiment of the British Army.

Political Career:

Lambton was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for South Durham during the 1880 general election as a representative of the Liberal Party. He served in this capacity until the constituency was abolished in 1885. After the constituency's abolition, he did not stand for election that year. In 1885, he joined the Liberal Unionists, a group that split from the Liberals over Irish Home Rule. He contested several parliamentary seats as a Liberal Unionist: Berwick-Upon-Tweed in 1886, Sunderland in 1892, and a by-election in South East Durham in February 1898, but was unsuccessful in these attempts.

Lambton returned to Parliament in the 1900 general election, defeating Joseph Richardson, the Liberal candidate who had won the 1898 by-election. He was re-elected unopposed in the 1906 general election. However, in January 1910, he lost the seat by a significant margin to a Liberal candidate.

He inherited the earldom and a seat in the House of Lords from his twin brother, John Lambton, 3rd Earl of Durham, on 18 September 1928, upon the latter's death without legitimate children.

Marriage and Children:

On 26 May 1879, Lambton married Beatrix Bulteel (1859 – 27 April 1937), who was his second cousin once removed. Together, they had six children:

- Lady Violet Lambton (3 July 1880 – 22 February 1976), who married John Egerton, 4th Earl of Ellesmere. Their children included John Egerton, 6th Duke of Sutherland.

- Lady Lilian Lambton (8 December 1881 – 26 September 1966), who married Charles Douglas-Home, 13th Earl of Home. Their descendants included Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home.

- John Frederick Lambton, 5th Earl of Durham (7 October 1884 – 4 February 1970).

- Hon Geoffrey Lambton (13 September 1887 – 1 September 1914), who married Dorothy Leyland; they had children.

- Hon Claud Lambton (3 December 1888 – 7 September 1976), who married Olive Eleanor Lockwood and had children.

- Lady Joan Katherine Lambton (21 September 1893 – 4 January 1967), who married Hugh Joicey, 3rd Baron Joicey; they had children.

Later Life and Death:

Frederick William Lambton died at the age of 73 on 31 January 1929. He had held the earldom for approximately four months before his death, upon which his eldest son succeeded him as the 5th Earl of Durham.