Henry Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland


Henry George Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland, , styled Lord Warkworth between 1865 and 1867 and Earl Percy between 1867 and 1899, was a British Conservative politician. He served as Treasurer of the Household under Benjamin Disraeli between 1874 and 1875 and was Chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Constitutional Associations from 1879 to 1883.

Background

Percy was the eldest son of Algernon Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland, by his wife Louisa, daughter of Henry Drummond. Lord Algernon Percy was his younger brother. He became known by the courtesy title Lord Lovaine when his grandfather succeeded in the dukedom of Northumberland in 1865 and as Earl Percy when his father succeeded in the dukedom in 1867.

Political career

Percy was returned to parliament for Northumberland North in 1868. In 1874 he was sworn of the Privy Council and appointed Treasurer of the Household under Benjamin Disraeli, a post he held until 1875. From 1879 to 1883 he was Chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Constitutional Associations. The Northumberland North seat was abolished in 1885 and Percy was not elected for another constituency. Two years later he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father's barony of Lovaine.
Percy succeeded in the dukedom in 1899 upon his father's death and was made a Knight of the Garter the same year. He later served as Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland from 1904 until his death in 1918 and was Lord High Steward at King George V's coronation in 1911, where he bore St Edward's Crown. He was President of the Board of Governors of Durham University College of Science in 1902, and from 1913 he also served as the second Chancellor of the University of Durham.
He was President of the Guildford Agricultural Association from 1902.
From 1909 he was made an alderman on Middlesex County Council.

Family

Northumberland married Lady Edith Campbell, daughter of George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll, on 23 December 1868. They had 13 children:
The Duchess of Northumberland died in July 1913, aged 63. Northumberland survived her by five years and died in May 1918, aged 71.