William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford

William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford

British courtier, diplomat and politician (1717–1781)

Died aged 64VirgoKingdom of Great Britain

Biography

William Henry Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford, KG, PC (17 September 1717 O.S. – 29 September 1781) was a British courtier, diplomat and politician. He occupied senior ambassadorial posts at Madrid and Paris, and served as Secretary of State in both the Northern and Southern Departments. He is credited with the earliest-known introduction of the Lombardy poplar to England in 1754.

He was a personal friend of such major cultural figures as the actor David Garrick, the novelist Laurence Sterne, and the French playwright Beaumarchais. George III valued Rochford as his expert advisor on foreign affairs in the early 1770s, and as a loyal and hard-working cabinet minister. Rochford was the only British secretary of state between 1760 and 1778 who had been a career diplomat.

Rochford played key roles in the Manila Ransom negotiation with Spain (1763–66), the French acquisition of Corsica (1768), the Falkland Islands crisis of 1770–1, the crisis following the Swedish Revolution of 1772, and the aftermath of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. In addition to his work as foreign secretary, he carried a heavy burden of domestic responsibilities in the early 1770s, especially Irish affairs. He was a key member of the North administration in the early phase of the American War of Independence. Illness and a political scandal forced him from office in November 1775.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Read the full article

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Career highlights

Career & roles

  • ambassador of the Kingdom of Great Britain in the Kingdom of Spain
  • Leader of the House of Lords
  • Lord Lieutenant of Essex

Family

Spouse(s)
Lucy Yonge
Children
Maria Nassau de ZuylesteinFrederik NassauAnna Nassau
Parents
Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein, 3rd Earl of RochfordBessy Savage

Awards & honours (1)

  • Order of the Garter

Quick answers about William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford

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William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford died on September 29, 1781 at the age of 64.
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William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford was born on September 17, 1717.
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William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford was born in St Osyth.
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William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford's zodiac sign is Virgo.
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William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford is a citizen of Kingdom of Great Britain.
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William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford is known as diplomat, ambassador, politician.
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According to Wikidata, William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford's spouse is or was Lucy Yonge.
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Wikidata lists 3 children of William Nassau de Zuylestein, 4th Earl of Rochford.

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