Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 2nd Earl of Shaftesbury (16 January 1652 – 2 November 1699), known as Lord Ashley from 1672 to 1683, was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 peer and Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

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Shaftesbury was the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, and Lady Frances Cecil. He was elected to the House of Commons for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis

Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (UK Parliament constituency)

Weymouth and Melcombe Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset represented in the English House of Commons, later in that of Great Britain, and finally in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was formed by an Act of Parliament of 1570 which amalgamated the existing boroughs of Weymouth and...

 in 1673, a seat he held until 1679. In 1683 he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

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Lord Shaftesbury married Lady Dorothy Manners, daughter of John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland

John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland

John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he inherited the peerage....

, in 1669. He died in November 1699, aged 47, and was succeeded in his titles by his son Anthony

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury

Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury was an English politician, philosopher and writer.-Biography:...

, who became a noted philosopher and writer.