Arthur Charles Wellesley, 4th Duke of Wellington (15 March 1849 – 18 June 1934), styled Lord Arthur Wellesley from 1884 to 1900, was a British peer and politician, and a member of the well-known Wellesley family. He joined the military and served in the Household Division. Upon his childless brother's death in 1900, he inherited the family title and estates.
Contents
Early life and career
Wellesley was born in 1849, the second son of Major-General Lord Charles Wellesley and Augusta Sophia Anne Pierrepont. Wellesley's paternal grandparents included the famous Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Catherine Pakenham and, on the maternal side, Henry Pierrepont, Lady Sophia Cecil. Between 1861 and 1866, he was educated at Eton. After graduating, Wellesley joined the military. He served as an officer in the Grenadier Guards, the most senior regiment of the Guards' division. The Guards formed part of the Household Division, the elite of the military that provided security for the monarch. To be selected as a member of the Household Division was a great honour, and consequently, recipients received two ranks, one as a member of the Household Division and a second, higher rank, as a member of the armed forces. Wellesley received the rank of Ensign, in his regiment, and Lieutenant, in the British Army, on 13 June 1868. He would later gain the rank of Lieutenant, in his regiment, and Captain, in the British Army, on 15 February 1871.