Background
Lonsdale was the eldest son of William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, and Lady Augusta, daughter of John Fane, 9th Earl of Westmorland.
Lonsdale was the eldest son of William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, and Lady Augusta, daughter of John Fane, 9th Earl of Westmorland.
He was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge.
Lonsdale was returned to parliament for Cockermouth in 1808, a seat he held until 1813, and later represented Westmorland between 1813 and 1831 and 1832 and 1841, Dunwich in 1832 and West Cumberland between 1832 and 1833. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1818 and served under the Duke of Wellington as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests between 1828 and 1830 and under Sir Robert Peel as Treasurer of the Navy and Vice-President of the Board of Trade between 1834 and 1835. In 1841 he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration in his father"s junior title of Baron Lowther and held office under Peel as Postmaster General between 1841 and 1845.
In 1844 he succeeded his father in the earldom of Lonsdale.
He held his last ministerial office as Lord President of the Council, with a seat in the cabinet, in 1852, in the Earl of Derby"s first administration. Lonsdale was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 5 July 1810.
He was also Lord Lieutenant of Cumberland and Westmorland between 1844 and 1868.
Conservative Party, Tories.
Royal Society; 4th United Kingdom Parliament. 5th United Kingdom Parliament. 6th United Kingdom Parliament.
7th United Kingdom Parliament.
8th United Kingdom Parliament. 9th United Kingdom Parliament.
10th United Kingdom Parliament. 11th United Kingdom Parliament.
12th United Kingdom Parliament.
13th United Kingdom Parliament.