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George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon

(1800-1870), Diplomat and politician; Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue Entry

Sitter in 16 portraits
Villiers spent the first ten years of his career as a Commissioner of Customs. At the young age of thirty-three he was appointed Minister to Spain, a role he held from 1833 until 1839. His time in Spain was considered by many to be the making of Villiers. He acquired a considerable reputation at home, where Whigs and radicals took a proprietary interest in Spanish liberalism. Soon fluent in Spanish, he was also a popular figure in the society of the Spanish capital. In 1838 Villiers succeeded his uncle as the fourth Earl of Clarendon, and soon after returned to England to receive a seat in the Whig cabinet, as Lord Privy Seal. He went on to serve as Viceroy of Ireland (1847-52) and Foreign Secretary (1852-8).

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George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon, by George Zobel, after  Sir Francis Grant - NPG D33273

George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon

by George Zobel, after Sir Francis Grant
stipple engraving, published 1850
NPG D33273

George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon, by William Holl Jr, after  George Richmond - NPG D20659

George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon

by William Holl Jr, after George Richmond
stipple engraving, 1863 or after
NPG D20659

Web image not currently available

George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon

by Unknown photographer
albumen carte-de-visite, 1860s-1870s
NPG Ax38763

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