Howard, George William Frederick, 7th Earl of Carlisle (1802 -1864)

George William Frederick Howard was born in Westminster, London, the eldest son of George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle, and Lady Georgiana Cavendish, eldest daughter of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, where he earned a reputation as a scholar and writer of graceful verse, obtaining in 1821 both the Chancellor's and the Newdigate prizes for a Latin poem. He maintained his interest in poetry throughout his life, exchanging sonnets with William Wordsworth. From 1825 to 1848 he was styled Viscount Morpeth. At the general election in 1826 Carlisle was returned to Parliament as member for the family borough of Morpeth, a seat he held until 1830, and then represented Yorkshire until 1832, and the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1832 to 1841, and again from 1846 to 1848. The latter year he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the House of Lords. Carlisle served under Lord Melbourne as Chief Secretary for Ireland between 1835 and 1841, under Lord John Russell as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests from 1846 to 1850, and as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1850 to 1852. In Lord Palmerston’s administration he served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1855 to 1858 and again from 1859 to 1864. In 1835 he was appointed to the Privy Councils of the United Kingdom and Ireland. In 1855 he was made a Knight of the Garter. Lord Carlisle died unmarried at Castle Howard in December 1864, aged 62, and was buried in the family mausoleum. He was succeeded in the earldom by his younger brother, Reverend William George Howard.