William Vesey-FitzGerald, 2nd Baron FitzGerald and Vesey
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- For the life peer Baron FitzGerald, see John FitzGerald, Baron FitzGerald.
William Vesey-FitzGerald, 2nd Baron FitzGerald and Vesey and 1st Baron FitzGerald, PC (24 July 1783 – 11 May 1843) was an Irish statesman.
He first entered parliament in 1820 as a member for Clare, which constituency he represented until 1828. His defeat is noteworthy in terms of Irish history because it led directly to Catholic Emancipation spearheaded by his successor, Daniel O'Connell as a result of his win. He briefly represented Lostwithiel in 1830 and then Ennis from 1831 until 1835, when he was made a peer. He was President of the Board of Trade under the Duke of Wellington (1828–1830) and President of the Board of Control under Sir Robert Peel (1841–1843). He inherited the title Baron FitzGerald and Vesey in the Peerage of Ireland from his mother Catherine in 1832, and was created Baron FitzGerald in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in his own right by Peel in 1835. As he had no legitimate issue, the latter title became extinct upon his death.
Categories: 1783 births | 1843 deaths | Members of the Privy Council of Ireland | Members of the United Kingdom Parliament from English constituencies | Members of the United Kingdom Parliament from Irish constituencies (1801-1922) | Barons in the Peerage of Ireland | Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom | UK Conservative Party politicians | Paymasters of the Forces
