Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton

Who was Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton?

Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton KG PC was an Irish and English politician.

He was born the only child of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton and Isabella Bennet, 2nd Countess of Arlington. His father was an illegitimate son of Charles II of England and Barbara Villiers, 1st Duchess of Cleveland.

Fitzroy inherited his father's peerages on 9 October 1690. He was Lord High Steward at King George I's coronation. He became a Privy Counsellor in 1715 and a Knight of the Garter in 1721. He also served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1720 to 1724 and Lord Chamberlain from 1724 until his death. In 1719 he was one of the main subscribers to the Royal Academy of Music, a corporation that produced baroque opera on the stage. In 1739 he supported the creation of what was to become one of London's most notable charities, the Foundling Hospital. He sat on that charity's original Court of Governors with such fellow Governors as the Duke of Bedford, the Lord Vere and the Lord Mayor of London.

He married Lady Henrietta Somerset, daughter of Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester and Rebecca Child; they had seven children:

Charles Henry FitzRoy, Earl of Euston.