John Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Ponsonby
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John Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Ponsonby, GCB
(1770 – 22 February 1855) was a longtime British
diplomat and politician.
, and brother of Sir William Ponsonby , was born about 1770. He served as a Member of Parliament
(MP) in the Irish House of Commons
for Tallow
between 1793 and 1798, for Banagher
between 1797 and 1798. He sat for Dungarvan
from 1797 to the Act of Union
in 1801, and then in the United Kingdom House of Commons for Galway Borough
until 1802.
, and for some time held an appointment in the Ionian Islands. On 28 February 1826 he went to Buenos Aires
as envoy-extraordinary and minister-plenipotentiary until 1828 and moved then to Rio de Janeiro
in the same capacity. An exceptionally handsome man, he was sent, it was reported, to South America by George Canning
to please George IV
, who was envious of the attention paid him by Lady Conyngham
. Once there he greatly fostered the creation of a buffer state
between Argentina
and Brazil
to the benefit of British commerce: Uruguay
. In 1830, he was entrusted with a special mission to Belgium
on 1 December 1830, in connection with the candidature of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg
to the throne, and remained in Brussels until Leopold was elected king on 4 June 1831. His dealings with this matter were adversely criticised in ‘The Guet-à-Pens Diplomacy, or Lord Ponsonby at Brussels, …’ London, 1831. But Lord Grey
eulogised him in the House of Lords on 25 June 1831. Thus, as a diplomat, he was sent twice by the British Empire
to promote the instauration of buffer states to protect its interests, Uruguay and Belgium, both of which survive to this very day, still deeply similar to their bigger neighbours. In addition to this, Ponsonby was envoy to Naples
from 8 June to 9 November 1832, ambassador at Constantinople
from 27 November 1832 to 1841, and ambassador at Vienna
from 10 August 1846 to 31 May 1850.
. She died at 62 Chester Square, London
, on 14 April 1866, having had no issue. Ponsonby published ‘Private Letters on the Eastern Question, written at the date thereon,’ Brighton, 1854, and died at Brighton
on 21 February 1855. The viscounty thereupon lapsed, but the barony devolved on his nephew William, son of Sir William Ponsonby.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(1770 – 22 February 1855) was a longtime British
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...
diplomat and politician.
Political career
Ponsonby, eldest son of the 1st Baron PonsonbyWilliam Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby
William Brabazon Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby , PC was a leading Irish Whig politician, being a member of the Irish House of Commons, and after 1800, of the United Kingdom parliament. Ponsonby was the son of the Hon...
, and brother of Sir William Ponsonby , was born about 1770. He served as a 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,...
(MP) in the Irish House of Commons
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
for Tallow
Tallow (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Tallow was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-1692–1801:...
between 1793 and 1798, for Banagher
Banagher (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Banagher was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-History:Banagher had two members in the 1689 Patriot Parliament summoned by King James II.-1689–1801:...
between 1797 and 1798. He sat for Dungarvan
Dungarvan (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Dungarvan was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Dungarvan was represented with two members.-1689–1801:...
from 1797 to the Act of Union
Act of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
in 1801, and then in the United Kingdom House of Commons for Galway Borough
Galway Borough (UK Parliament constituency)
Galway Borough was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland. It returned one MP 1801–1832, two MPs 1832–1885 and one thereafter. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.-Boundaries:This...
until 1802.
Diplomatic career
On the death of his father on 5 November 1806, he succeeded him as Baron PonsonbyBaron Ponsonby
Baron Ponsonby may refer to:*Baron Ponsonby of Imokilly, sometimes known as Baron Ponsonby, of Imokilly*Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede*Baron Ponsonby, of Sysonby, a subsidiary title of the Earls of Bessborough...
, and for some time held an appointment in the Ionian Islands. On 28 February 1826 he went to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
as envoy-extraordinary and minister-plenipotentiary until 1828 and moved then to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in the same capacity. An exceptionally handsome man, he was sent, it was reported, to South America by George Canning
George Canning
George Canning PC, FRS was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life: 1770–1793:...
to please George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
, who was envious of the attention paid him by Lady Conyngham
Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham
Elizabeth Conyngham , Marchioness Conyngham , was an English courtier and noblewoman, and the last mistress of George IV of the United Kingdom.- Early life :...
. Once there he greatly fostered the creation of a buffer state
Buffer state
A buffer state is a country lying between two rival or potentially hostile greater powers, which by its sheer existence is thought to prevent conflict between them. Buffer states, when authentically independent, typically pursue a neutralist foreign policy, which distinguishes them from satellite...
between Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
to the benefit of British commerce: Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. In 1830, he was entrusted with a special mission to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
on 1 December 1830, in connection with the candidature of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg
Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I was from 21 July 1831 the first King of the Belgians, following Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. He was the founder of the Belgian line of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
to the throne, and remained in Brussels until Leopold was elected king on 4 June 1831. His dealings with this matter were adversely criticised in ‘The Guet-à-Pens Diplomacy, or Lord Ponsonby at Brussels, …’ London, 1831. But Lord Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, KG, PC , known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 22 November 1830 to 16 July 1834. A member of the Whig Party, he backed significant reform of the British government and was among the...
eulogised him in the House of Lords on 25 June 1831. Thus, as a diplomat, he was sent twice by the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
to promote the instauration of buffer states to protect its interests, Uruguay and Belgium, both of which survive to this very day, still deeply similar to their bigger neighbours. In addition to this, Ponsonby was envoy to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
from 8 June to 9 November 1832, ambassador at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
from 27 November 1832 to 1841, and ambassador at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
from 10 August 1846 to 31 May 1850.
Later life
Through Lord Grey, who had married his sister Mary Elizabeth, he had great influence, but his conduct as an ambassador sometimes occasioned embarrassment to the ministry. He was, however, a keen diplomatist of the old school, a shrewd observer, and a man of large views and strong will (LOFTUS, Diplomatic Reminiscences, 1892, i. 129–30). He was gazetted G.C.B. on 3 March 1834, and created Viscount Ponsonby, of Imokilly in the County of Cork on 20 April 1839. The viscount had married, on 13 January 1803, Elizabeth Frances Villiers, fifth daughter of George Villiers, 4th Earl of JerseyGeorge Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey
George Bussy Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey PC was a member of the British and Irish peerage and a courtier in the court of George III.-Parliament:...
. She died at 62 Chester Square, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on 14 April 1866, having had no issue. Ponsonby published ‘Private Letters on the Eastern Question, written at the date thereon,’ Brighton, 1854, and died at Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
on 21 February 1855. The viscounty thereupon lapsed, but the barony devolved on his nephew William, son of Sir William Ponsonby.