Ralph Howard, 7th Earl of Wicklow

Ralph Francis Howard, 7th Earl of Wicklow (24 December 1877 – 11 October 1946)^[1] was an Irish aristocrat and politician.

The Right Honourable The Earl of Wicklow
Howard in December 1922
Senator
In office 11 December 1922 – 12 December 1928
Personal details
Born	Ralph Francis Howard (1877-12-24)24 December 1877
Died	11 October 1946(1946-10-11) (aged 68)
Spouses	Gladys Hamilton ​ ​ (m. 1902; died 1917)​ Beatrix Herbert ​ (m. 1942)​
Children	William Howard
Parent	Cecil Howard (father)

Biography

Howard was the son of Cecil Howard, 6th Earl of Wicklow and Francesca Maria Chamberlayne. He succeeded as Earl of Wicklow on the death of his father in 1891.^[2]

Lord Wicklow was commissioned a second-lieutenant in the 2nd Life Guards on 16 February 1898, promoted to lieutenant on 26 April 1899, and saw active service in South Africa from 1899 to 1900 during the Second Boer War. A squadron from the 2nd Life Guards was attached to the Household Cavalry Regiment during the war, and Lord Wicklow served as Brigade Signalling Officer, and received the Queen's South Africa Medal with three clasps.^[3] After his return to the United Kingdom, he was promoted to captain on 3 September 1902.^[4]

In 1922, he was nominated by W. T. Cosgrave to the Seanad Éireann of the Irish Free State on its formation.^[5] He served for six years until he was defeated at the 1928 Seanad election.^[6]

Family

Lady Gladys Hamilton in 1902

Lord Wicklow married at St. Mark's Church, North Audley Street, London, on 14 January 1902, Lady Gladys Mary Hamilton (1880–1917), daughter of James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn and Lady Mary Anna Curzon-Howe. As the couple were both prominent and visible members of Anglo-Irish society, the bride received valuable presents from several public bodies in Ireland, and the ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Armagh (Primate of All Ireland).^[7] They had one son, who succeeded his father as Earl.

Late in Lord Wicklow's life he remarried, in 1942, to Lady Beatrix Herbert, daughter of Sidney Herbert, 14th Earl of Pembroke and Lady Beatrix Louisa Lambton.

References

1. "Earls of Wicklow". Archived from the original on 29 February 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
2. "Members of the First Seanad: Biographies – Howard, Ralph (Earl of Wicklow)". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
3. Hart′s Army list, 1903
4. "No. 27474". The London Gazette. 16 September 1902. p. 5959.
5. "President's nominees for Seanad". Houses of the Oireachtas. 6 December 1922. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
6. "Ralph Howard". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
7. "Court circular". The Times. No. 36665. London. 15 January 1902. p. 6. Retrieved 20 December 2023 – via The Times Digital Archive.

External links

• "Wicklow, Earl of" . Thom's Irish Who's Who . Dublin: Alexander Thom and Son Ltd. 1923. p. 2690  – via Wikisource.

Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Cecil Howard	Earl of Wicklow 1891–1946	Succeeded by William Howard
Political offices
Preceded by The Earl of Lanesborough	Representative peer for Ireland 1905–1946	Office lapsed