Lord Augustus Loftus


Lord Augustus William Frederick Spencer Loftus, , was a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He was Ambassador to Prussia from 1865 to 1868, to the North German Confederation from 1868 to 1871 and to the Russian Empire from 1871 to 1879 and Governor of New South Wales from 1879 to 1885.

Background

Loftus was born in Bristol, England, the fourth son of John Loftus, 2nd Marquess of Ely, by Anna Maria Dashwood, daughter of Sir Henry Dashwood, 3rd Baronet. He was privately educated.

Career

Loftus was appointed by Lord Palmerston to the diplomatic service in 1837 as attaché at Berlin. He was attaché at Stuttgart in 1844. He was secretary to Sir Stratford Canning in 1848, and after serving as secretary of legation at Stuttgart, and Berlin, was envoy at Vienna, Berlin and Munich.
He was subsequently Ambassador at Berlin from 1865 to 1868, to the North German Confederation from 1868 to 1871 and to Saint Petersburg from 1871 to 1879.
He then served as Governor of New South Wales from 1879 to 1885. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1866 and sworn of the Privy Council in 1868.

Marriage and issue

Loftus married a distant cousin, Emma Maria Greville, daughter of Vice-Admiral Henry Francis Greville, in 1845. They had three sons and two surviving daughters. One of their sons would have succeeded George Loftus, 7th Marquess of Ely as the 8th Marquess of Ely, but all three predeceased their cousin.
  • Unnamed daughter, stillborn at Baden-Baden
  • Evelyn Ann Frances Loftus, died at Baden-Baden aged 13
  • Henry John Loftus, married Sarah Josephine Leech, daughter of William Leech of Philadelphia
  • Capt. Augustus Petham Brooke Loftus, married in 1885 Ethel Adelaïde Labertouche, daughter of Peter Paul Labertouche; had one son:
  • *Guy Alvo Greville Loftus, heir presumptive to the Marquessate of Ely from 1935 until his death
  • Emma Anne Caroline Bloomfield Loftus ; married first in 1873 Hon. Frederick Arthur Wellesley, son of Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley ; married second in 1903
  • Montagu Egerton Loftus, married Margaret Julia Agnes Fairfax Astell, daughter of John Harvey Astell; and secondly in 1904 Colina Marion Hale Monro
Lady Augustus died in January 1902. Loftus survived her by two years and died in Surrey, England, in March 1904, aged 86.
The town of Emmaville, New South Wales, was named after Emma in 1882.