Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Personal Computer, known as The Lord Skelmersdale between 1853 and 1880, was a British Conservative politician.
Background
Bootle-Wilbraham was born at Blythe Hall, Lathom, Lancashire the son of Honorary Richard Bootle-Wilbraham, Member of Parliament, eldest son of Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale. His mother was Jessy, daughter of Sir Richard Brooke, 6th Baronet.
His father died when Edward was only 7 years old and he was brought up by his grandparents at nearby Lathom House.
Education
He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.
Career
He served under the Earl of Derby and then Benjamin Disraeli as a Lord-in-Waiting from 1866 to 1868. In 1870 he became Conservative Chief Whip in the House of Lords. He once again held office under Disraeli as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard from 1874 to 1880 and was admitted to the Privy Council in 1874.
In 1880 he was created Earl of Lathom, in the County Palatine of Lancaster.
Lord Lathom later held office under Lord Salisbury as Lord Chamberlain of the Household from 1885 to 1886, from 1886 to 1892 and from 1895 to 1898. Lord Lathom married Lady Alice Villiers, daughter of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon, on 16 August 1860.
They had nine children:
Edward George Bootle-Wilbraham, 2nd Earl of Lathom (1864–1910), married 1889 Lady Wilma Pleydell-Bouverie, daughter of William Pleydell-Bouverie, 5th Earl of Radnor. Honorary Villiers Richard Bootle-Wilbraham, born abt.
1867, married 1900 to Violet Inez de Romero
Honorary
Randle Arthur Bootle-Wilbraham, born abt. 1868
Honorary Reginald Francis Bootle-Wilbraham, born abt. 1875, married 1903 to Lilian Mary Holt, daughter of Major William Lyster Holt
Lady Alice Maud Bootle-Wilbraham, O.B.E.
Lady Constance Adela Bootle-Wilbraham, married Onorato Caetani, Duke of Sermoneta
Lady Bertha Mabel Bootle-Wilbraham, married 1903 to Major
Arthur Frederick Dawkins, son of Clinton G. A. Dawkins, and has issue
Lady Edith C. Bootle-Wilbraham.
Lady Florence Mary Bootle-Wilbraham (d 1944), married the Right Reverend Lord William Cecil, Bishop of Exeter, son of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury and had issue. The Countess of Lathom died in a carriage accident in November 1897, aged 56.
Lord Lathom survived her by a year and died in November 1898, aged 60.
Membership
He was a member of every Conservative administration between 1866 and 1898, and notably served three times as Lord Chamberlain of the Household under Lord Salisbury.