Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke Of Wellington

Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington, was born on 5 April 1846. He was a member of the British peerage and a Conservative Party politician. His father was Lord Charles Wellesley, and his grandfather was the 1st Duke of Wellington. Wellesley was born without a noble title and later inherited the dukedom in 1884 following the death of his uncle, who left no children.

His early education included attendance at Eton College from 1859 to 1865. On 16 May 1865, he joined the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadier Guards as an ensign. He was promoted to the rank of major on 1 July 1881 and retired from military service on 28 June 1882.

In the realm of politics, he contested the parliamentary constituency of Andover unsuccessfully in 1868. He was elected Member of Parliament for Andover in 1874 and served until the next election in 1880.

Following the death of his uncle, he succeeded to the title of Duke of Wellington on 13 August 1884. After acquiring the dukedom, his sisters Victoria and Mary were granted the courtesy titles of daughters of a duke.

He held honorary military positions, including Honorary Colonel of the Hampshire Militia Artillery, appointed on 22 November 1884, and of the 6th West York Militia, appointed on 10 April 1886. He maintained both honorary roles until his death.

Wellesley served as a special ambassador to Spain in 1885 for the funeral of King Alfonso XII. Additionally, he was chairman of the Society for the Suppression of Mendicity, an organization aimed at addressing vagrancy and begging.

On 7 March 1882, he married Evelyn Katrine Gwenfra Williams, born in 1855, who was the daughter of Thomas Peers Williams, a Member of Parliament for Great Harlow. Evelyn's siblings included Owen Williams, Hwfa Williams, and Edith Peers-William, Countess of Aylesford through marriage. The Wellesley couple resided at Strathfield Saye, the family estate.

Henry Wellesley died on 8 June 1900 at Strathfield Saye. He was buried at the family estate. As he and his wife Evelyn had no children, the title was inherited by his brother, Arthur Charles Wellesley. Evelyn Wellesley remarried to Hon. Frederick Arthur Wellesley, a cousin and son of Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley. She died on 11 March 1939.

In cultural references, Lady Angela Forbes noted in her memoirs that the Duke was notably corpulent, earning him the nickname "Spurgeon."