Dudley Ryder, 2nd Earl of Harrowby (1798-1882), Politician

Sitter in 8 portraits
Known as Viscount Sandon until his father's death in 1847. In 1819, he was the first hereditary peer to gain a double first-class degree from Christ Church, Oxford. He was elected as an MP while still an undergraduate in 1819; he was appointed a Lord of the Admiralty, and subsequently Secretary to the Board of Control. Though a Conservative, he held many liberal opinions, including his staunch support of the Reform Bill of 1831. In 1847 he succeeded to his father's title and was raised to the House of Lords, where he acted as mediator between the Peelites and the Tories on the issue of free trade. He served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was a Privy Counsellor and held the office of Lord Privy Seal.