Richard FitzGibbon, 3rd Earl of Clare

The Right Honourable
The Earl of Clare
The Right Honourable The Earl of Clare
Member of Parliament; for County Limerick
	In office; 1818–1841
Personal details
Born	2 October 1793; Mountshannon House, County Limerick
Died	10 January 1864 (aged 70); Kensington, London
Resting place	St. Peter's Church, Aungier Street, Dublin
Alma mater	Harrow School
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1808–1814
Rank	Captain
Unit	1st Foot Guards; 2nd Ceylon Regiment
Battles/wars	Napoleonic Wars Peninsular War Second Battle of Porto; Battle of Talavera; ; ;

Richard Hobart FitzGibbon, 3rd Earl of Clare (2 October 1793 – 10 January 1864) was an Anglo-Irish politician and noble.

Born at Mountshannon House in County Limerick, FitzGibbon was educated at Harrow School.^[1] He joined the British Army, and was present at the Second Battle of Porto and Battle of Talavera.^[2]

At the 1818 UK general election, he stood in County Limerick for the Whigs, winning the seat. He rarely spoke in Parliament, and did not always vote in line with the Whig leadership. In turn, they offered him little support, but he nevertheless held his seat, sometimes describing himself as an independent. He served until 1841, when he stood down.^[2] He was appointed Governor of Limerick in 1818, and later served twice as Lord Lieutenant of Limerick.

In the 1820s, FitzGibbon had a child with Diana Woodcock, who was then married to Maurice Crosbie Moore. He obtained a divorce in 1825, by act of the House of Lords, and FitzGibbon and Woodcock immediately married. However, Moore secured custody of FitzGibbon's illegitimate child, despite stating that he was doing so purely out of vindictiveness. The couple had one legitimate child, John Charles Henry FitzGibbon, Viscount FitzGibbon, who was killed in the Battle of Balaklava in 1854.^[1] In 1851, FitzGibbon succeeded his brother as the Earl of Clare. He died in 1864.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "FITZGIBBON, Hon. Richard Hobart (1793-1864), of Mount Shannon, co. Limerick". The History of Parliament. Houses of Parliament. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Stenton, Michael (1976). Who's Who of British Members of Parliament. Vol. 1. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. 141. ISBN 0855272198.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Windham Quin William Odell	Member of Parliament for County Limerick 1818–1841 With: Windham Quin 1818–1820 Standish O'Grady 1820–1826, 1830, 1830–1835 Thomas Lloyd 1826–1830 James Hewitt Massy Dawson 1830 William Smith O'Brien 1835–1841	Succeeded by William Smith O'Brien Caleb Powell
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Clare	Lord Lieutenant of Limerick 1851–1854	Succeeded by The Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl
New title	Lord Lieutenant of Limerick 1831–1848	Succeeded by The Earl of Clare
Preceded by The Lord Muskerry	Governor of Limerick 1818–1831	Became Lord Lieutenancy
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by John FitzGibbon	Earl of Clare 1851–1864	Extinct

[history-1] "FITZGIBBON, Hon. Richard Hobart (1793-1864), of Mount Shannon, co. Limerick". The History of Parliament. Houses of Parliament. Retrieved 22 September 2022.

[stenton-2] Stenton, Michael (1976). Who's Who of British Members of Parliament. Vol. 1. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. 141. ISBN 0855272198.

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