Anthony Ashley Cooper, 4th Earl of Shaftesbury
Encyclopedia
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 4th Earl of Shaftesbury (1711–1771), 4th Earl of Shaftesbury
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The 4th Earl served as Lord Lieutenant of Dorset
from 1734 until his death.
, died in February, 1713 leaving him fatherless in infancy. He grew up learning about the achievements of his father and great grandfather and revering his family history. In 1732, he published a new edition of his father’s influential work, Characteristics of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times, also known as Shaftesbury’s Characteristics. The book was among the most influential of the British Enlightenment; historian Benjamin Rand described the 3rd Earl as the “greatest Stoic of modern times.”
Shaftesbury also undertook to document his great grandfather’s legacy by commissioning a biography. He retained Benjamin Martyn for the project. He had become well acquainted with Martyn, Secretary to the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America
when he became a member of that organization at its first annual meeting in 1733.
, saw the Georgia colony as a potential model society as well as one that addressed several more pragmatic purposes. By 1750, however, Shaftesbury at a more mature age replaced Oglethorpe as a guiding force among the Trustees, first tilting it in a more conventional direction then preparing Georgia to become a royal colony in 1752.
Earl of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II...
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The 4th Earl served as Lord Lieutenant of Dorset
Lord Lieutenant of Dorset
The Office of the Lord Lieutenant was created during the reign of Henry VIII, taking over the military duties of the Sheriff and control of the military forces of the Crown. From 1569, there was provision for the appointment of Deputies, and in 1662 the Lord-Lieutenant was given entire control of...
from 1734 until his death.
Family Legacy
Shaftesbury's father, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of ShaftesburyAnthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury was an English politician, philosopher and writer.-Biography:...
, died in February, 1713 leaving him fatherless in infancy. He grew up learning about the achievements of his father and great grandfather and revering his family history. In 1732, he published a new edition of his father’s influential work, Characteristics of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times, also known as Shaftesbury’s Characteristics. The book was among the most influential of the British Enlightenment; historian Benjamin Rand described the 3rd Earl as the “greatest Stoic of modern times.”
Shaftesbury also undertook to document his great grandfather’s legacy by commissioning a biography. He retained Benjamin Martyn for the project. He had become well acquainted with Martyn, Secretary to the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America
Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America
The Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America, or simply the Georgia Trustees, was organized by James Edward Oglethorpe and associates following Parliamentary investigations into prison conditions in Britain. The organization petitioned for a royal charter in July, 1731,...
when he became a member of that organization at its first annual meeting in 1733.
Georgia Trustees
Shaftesbury was elected to the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America in 1733, less than a year after the group was created by royal charter. In light of his family’s intellectual tradition, he may have been among those Trustees who, following James OglethorpeJames Oglethorpe
James Edward Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia...
, saw the Georgia colony as a potential model society as well as one that addressed several more pragmatic purposes. By 1750, however, Shaftesbury at a more mature age replaced Oglethorpe as a guiding force among the Trustees, first tilting it in a more conventional direction then preparing Georgia to become a royal colony in 1752.