Arthur Wellesley, 4th Duke Of Wellington

Arthur Charles Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington, was born on 15 March 1849 and died on 18 June 1934. He was a member of the British peerage and the Wellesley family, known for its historical prominence. He was styled Lord Arthur Wellesley from 1884 until 1900.

Wellesley's parents were Major-General Lord Charles Wellesley and Augusta Sophia Anne Pierrepont. His paternal grandparents included Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and Catherine Pakenham. On his maternal side, his lineage included Henry Pierrepont and Lady Sophia Cecil.

He received his early education at Eton College from 1861 to 1866. After completing his education, Wellesley joined the military, serving as an officer in the Grenadier Guards, a senior regiment within the Guards division of the Household Division. The Household Division was responsible for royal security and ceremonial duties. Members of this division held dual ranks: one as part of the Household Division and a higher rank within the British Army.

He was commissioned as Ensign in his regiment and as a Lieutenant in the Army on 13 June 1868. By 15 February 1871, he had been promoted to Lieutenant in his regiment and Captain in the Army. Throughout his military career, Wellesley's duties were largely ceremonial, and he did not participate in combat. He attained the rank of Captain in his regiment and Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army on 5 April 1879, and later was promoted to Major in his regiment and Colonel in the British Army on 1 August 1887.

On 8 June 1900, Wellesley's childless brother, Henry Wellesley, died. As a result, Wellesley inherited the titles and estates associated with the family. These included the Dukedom of Wellington, Prince of Waterloo, Dukedom of Ciudad Rodrigo, and Dukedom of Victoria. He also acquired Apsley House in London and the family estates at Stratfield Saye House, which encompassed over 19,000 acres of land. The estate included four advowsons, which gave him the responsibility to select the principal clergy for those parishes.

From 1900 until his death in 1934, the 4th Duke was a member of the House of Lords, sitting on the Conservative benches. He was also a member of the Marlborough Club, a gentlemen's club.

He married Kathleen Emily Bulkeley Williams on 24 October 1872. Kathleen was the daughter of Captain Robert Griffith Williams and Mary Anne Geale. They had six children:

- Lady Evelyn Kathleen Wellesley (1873–1922), who married Hon. Robert James and had one son.

- Arthur Charles Wellesley, 5th Duke of Wellington (1876–1941), his successor.

- Captain Lord Richard Wellesley (1879–1914), who was killed during the First Battle of Ypres while serving with No. 3 Company of the 1st Battalion of the Grenadier Guards. He is buried in Hooge Crater Cemetery in Belgium.

- Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington (1885–1972).

- Lady Eileen Wellesley (1887–1952), married Captain Cuthbert Julian Orde of the Royal Flying Corps, and had two daughters.

- Lord George Wellesley (1889–1967).

The 4th Duke's wife, Kathleen, died on 24 June 1927 at Apsley House. Arthur Wellesley died at Ewhurst Park in Basingstoke, Hampshire, on 18 June 1934, on Waterloo Day, at the age of 85. He was buried at Stratfield Saye House.

His estate's valuation at the time of his death was sworn at £150,858, equivalent to approximately £13.5 million in 2023. A further estate grant in 1936 was valued at £41,666, approximately £3.6 million today, excluding certain family interests and land gifts. His eldest son succeeded him as the 5th Duke of Wellington.

Wellesley's honors included being appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) on 1 May 1902 and a Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG) in June 1902, invested by King Edward VII. He also received foreign decorations such as the Grand Cross of Charles III from Spain, the Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword from Portugal, and the Orders of the Black Eagle and Red Eagle from Prussia.