Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale

Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale was a British Liberal politician.

Early life

Thomas Lister was born on 29 October 1854 in Fontainebleau, France, the eldest son of Thomas Lister, 3rd Baron Ribblesdale, and his wife Emma, daughter of William Mure. He succeeded his father in the barony in 1876.

Lord Ribblesdale sat on the Liberal benches in the House of Lords and served as a Lord-in-waiting under William Ewart Gladstone from 1880 to 1885 and in 1886 and as Master of the Buckhounds under Gladstone and later Lord Rosebery from 1892 to 1895. Apart from his political career he was also a Captain in the Rifle Brigade and a Trustee of the National Gallery from 1909 to 1925.
His portrait was painted by John Singer Sargent and is said to epitomise the British aristocrat.

On 7 April 1877, Lord Ribblesdale married Charlotte Monkton Tennant, daughter of Sir Charles Tennant, 1st Baronet and Emma Winsloe, and sister of Margot Tennant, at The Savoy Chapel, London. Lady Ribblesdale died on 2 May 1911. The couple had two sons, who were both killed in military service, and three daughters:

Capt. Hon. Thomas Lister, who received the Distinguished Service Order for service in the Second Boer War, and was killed in action serving with the 10th Royal Hussars during the Somaliland campaign of 1903–04.
Hon. Barbara Lister, who married Sir Mathew Wilson, 4th Baronet, and had three sons
2nd Lt. Hon. Charles Alfred Lister, who died from wounds received at the Battle of Gallipoli while serving with Royal Marine Light Infantry during the First World War
Hon. Laura Lister, who married Simon Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat
Hon. Diana Lister, who first married Lt. Percy Lyulph Wyndham, then Captain Arthur "Boy" Capel, and thirdly Vere Fane, 14th Earl of Westmorland

On 3 June 1919, Lord Ribblesdale married secondly Ava Lowle Willing, daughter of Edward Shippen Willing and Alice Caroline Barton and former wife of John Jacob Astor IV, at St Mary's, Bryanston Square in London.
He died on 21 October 1925, aged 70 at his townhouse in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, London, and was buried in the Lister vault at St Mary the Virgin Churchyard, Gisburn, Lancashire. With his death the barony became extinct. Lady Ribblesdale died on 9 June 1958 in her apartment at 720 Park Avenue in New York City and she was buried in Trinity Church Cemetery.