Henry Pellew
Encyclopedia
Henry Edward Pellew, 6th Viscount Exmouth (26 April 1828 – 4 February 1923) was a British
peer
and a naturalised United States citizen who inherited the title of Viscount Exmouth
at the age of 94 from a cousin, and held the title for less than a year before his own death. Although born and educated in England, he moved to America in 1873 shortly after his second marriage and lived there for the rest of his life, carrying out charitable works.
, who was Dean of Norwich
, was the third son of Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth
, a British admiral who saw action in the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars
. Henry was his only son. Pellew was educated at Eton College
, before studying at Trinity College, Cambridge
, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1850. Whilst at Cambridge University, he won his "Blue" by rowing for the university boat club against Oxford in the Boat Race
in 1849. He was one of the founders of Keble College, Oxford
and served on the Council of the college from its foundation in 1870 until 1873. He was also a magistrate for the county of Middlesex
, serving on the boards of various charities, hospitals and schools in and around London. He married Eliza Jay, the daughter of a judge from New York, in 1858 and had three children, of whom only Charles, his eventual heir, survived. She died in 1869. In 1873, he married her youngest sister, Augusta, a marriage that was not recognised as valid at that time in English law. In the same year (possibly because of this, suggested his obituary in The Times
) he moved to New York City, and later to Washington, D.C. He became a naturalised citizen of the United States.
Pellew carried on working for various good causes in America, as he had in England, even after his ninetieth birthday. He helped to organise the Bureau of Charities in New York, working with the future President Theodore Roosevelt
. He helped to set up coffee houses for poor people, a free lending library, and night shelters, as well as helping improve housing conditions. He was President of the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor and of the St George Society, an Anglo-American group in New York; he also belonged to the Society for Sanitary Reform and the School Commission. He helped with the plans for Washington National Cathedral
.
In August 1922, Edward Pellew, 5th Viscount Exmouth, a distant cousin, died without descendants and his titles (Viscount Exmouth
and two other titles earlier created for the 1st Viscount, namely Baron Exmouth and a baronetcy) passed to Pellew as the closest male relative. He attempted to renounce the peerage (the U.S. Constitution prohibits any "person holding any office of profit or trust under them" from "without the consent of the Congress, accept[ing] any . . . title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.") in favour of Charles, but was told by the British Embassy in Washington that this was not possible. In any event, he preferred to remain known as "Mr Henry Edward Pellew" rather than use the title of Viscount. He died in Washington on 4 February 1923, and was succeeded in his titles by his son, Charles Pellew, a professor of chemistry at Columbia University
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
peer
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
and a naturalised United States citizen who inherited the title of Viscount Exmouth
Viscount Exmouth
right|thumb|Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount ExmouthViscount Exmouth, of Canonteign in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1816 for the prominent naval commander Edward Pellew, 1st Baron Exmouth...
at the age of 94 from a cousin, and held the title for less than a year before his own death. Although born and educated in England, he moved to America in 1873 shortly after his second marriage and lived there for the rest of his life, carrying out charitable works.
Life
Henry Pellew was born on 26 April 1828. His father, George PellewGeorge Pellew
George Pellew was an English churchman and theologian, Dean of Norwich from 1828.-Life:He was third son of Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, and was born at Flushing, Cornwall in April 1793. He was educated at Eton College from 1808 to 1811, and admitted as gentleman-commoner at Corpus Christi...
, who was Dean of Norwich
Dean of Norwich
The Dean of Norwich is the head of the Chapter of Norwich Cathedral in Norwich, England. The current Dean is the Very Revd Graham Charles Morell Smith.*1538-1539 William Castleton, first dean*1539-1554 John Salisbury*1554-1557 John Christopherson...
, was the third son of Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth
Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary, and the Napoleonic Wars...
, a British admiral who saw action in the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. Henry was his only son. Pellew was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, before studying at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1850. Whilst at Cambridge University, he won his "Blue" by rowing for the university boat club against Oxford in the Boat Race
The Boat Race
The event generally known as "The Boat Race" is a rowing race in England between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights each spring on the River Thames in London. It takes place generally on the last Saturday of March or the first...
in 1849. He was one of the founders of Keble College, Oxford
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
and served on the Council of the college from its foundation in 1870 until 1873. He was also a magistrate for the county of Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, serving on the boards of various charities, hospitals and schools in and around London. He married Eliza Jay, the daughter of a judge from New York, in 1858 and had three children, of whom only Charles, his eventual heir, survived. She died in 1869. In 1873, he married her youngest sister, Augusta, a marriage that was not recognised as valid at that time in English law. In the same year (possibly because of this, suggested his obituary in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
) he moved to New York City, and later to Washington, D.C. He became a naturalised citizen of the United States.
Pellew carried on working for various good causes in America, as he had in England, even after his ninetieth birthday. He helped to organise the Bureau of Charities in New York, working with the future President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. He helped to set up coffee houses for poor people, a free lending library, and night shelters, as well as helping improve housing conditions. He was President of the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor and of the St George Society, an Anglo-American group in New York; he also belonged to the Society for Sanitary Reform and the School Commission. He helped with the plans for Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
.
In August 1922, Edward Pellew, 5th Viscount Exmouth, a distant cousin, died without descendants and his titles (Viscount Exmouth
Viscount Exmouth
right|thumb|Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount ExmouthViscount Exmouth, of Canonteign in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1816 for the prominent naval commander Edward Pellew, 1st Baron Exmouth...
and two other titles earlier created for the 1st Viscount, namely Baron Exmouth and a baronetcy) passed to Pellew as the closest male relative. He attempted to renounce the peerage (the U.S. Constitution prohibits any "person holding any office of profit or trust under them" from "without the consent of the Congress, accept[ing] any . . . title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.") in favour of Charles, but was told by the British Embassy in Washington that this was not possible. In any event, he preferred to remain known as "Mr Henry Edward Pellew" rather than use the title of Viscount. He died in Washington on 4 February 1923, and was succeeded in his titles by his son, Charles Pellew, a professor of chemistry at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.