Edmond Fitzmaurice, 1st Baron Fitzmaurice

Edmond George Petty-Fitzmaurice, 1st Baron Fitzmaurice, was born on 19 June 1846 at Lansdowne House in London. He was the second son of Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 4th Marquess of Lansdowne, and Emily de Flahault, daughter of Charles Joseph, comte de Flahaut. His elder brother was Henry Petty-FitzMaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne.

He received his education at Eton College and later attended Trinity College, Cambridge. During his time at Cambridge, he served as President of the Cambridge Union in 1866 and graduated with a first-class degree in the Classical Tripos in 1868. He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1871 but did not pursue a career in legal practice.

In 1868, Fitzmaurice was elected unopposed to the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Calne, a constituency held by his family. He held this seat until 1885. From 1872 to 1874, he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Robert Lowe, who was then Chancellor of the Exchequer and later Home Secretary. In 1880, Fitzmaurice was appointed Commissioner at Constantinople, overseeing the reorganization of Ottoman European provinces following the Berlin Treaty of 1878, although his proposals were not implemented.

With the return of the Liberal government in 1880, Fitzmaurice was appointed Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in 1883 under Prime Minister William Gladstone, serving until 1885. That year, the Calne constituency was abolished, and Fitzmaurice was selected as the Liberal candidate for Blackfriars and Hutchesontown in Glasgow. However, illness prevented him from standing in the 1885 election.

He attempted to reenter Parliament in subsequent elections, unsuccessfully contesting Deptford in 1892 and Cricklade in 1895. He was eventually elected as MP for Cricklade in 1898 in a by-election, holding the seat until 1906.

When the Liberal government returned to power in late 1905, Fitzmaurice was appointed again as Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Although he was considered for the cabinet position of Foreign Secretary, he was not appointed, possibly due to internal party negotiations. In 1906, he announced he would not stand for election and was raised to the peerage as Baron Fitzmaurice of Leigh, in Wiltshire.

He continued to serve at the Foreign Office after Prime Minister H. H. Asquith took office in 1908. That same year, he was admitted to the Privy Council and appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with a seat in the cabinet. His health problems led to his resignation from these roles in 1909.

Beyond his political career, Fitzmaurice served as Chairman of Wiltshire County Council from 1896 to 1906. He was also a biographer, publishing works on figures including his great-grandfather, the Prime Minister the 2nd Earl of Shelburne, and Sir William Petty. Other published works concern the 2nd Earl Granville and Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, among others.

He was a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery and a Fellow of the British Academy, elected in 1914. He financed the establishment of a school in Bradford-on-Avon, later renamed Fitzmaurice Grammar School. Fitzmaurice Primary School and a school house at Dauntsey's School are named in his honor.

In his personal life, Fitzmaurice married Caroline FitzGerald in 1889. She was the daughter of William John FitzGerald of Connecticut. The marriage was annulled in 1894, and the couple had no children. He resided at Leigh House in Bradford-on-Avon and was also associated with Bowood House near Chippenham.

Edmond George Petty-Fitzmaurice died on 21 June 1935, two days after his 89th birthday. With his death, the barony became extinct.