William Beresford (17 April 1797 – 6 October 1883) was a British Conservative politician.
He was the only son of Marcus Beresford and his wife Frances Arabella, daughter of Joseph Leeson, 1st Earl of Milltown. Beresford was educated at St Mary Hall, Oxford, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1819 and a Master of Arts five years later. He joined the British Army and served in the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and then in the 12th (Prince of...
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William Beresford (17 April 1797 – 6 October 1883) was a British Conservative politician.
He was the only son of Marcus Beresford and his wife Frances Arabella, daughter of Joseph Leeson, 1st Earl of Milltown. Beresford was educated at St Mary Hall, Oxford, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1819 and a Master of Arts five years later. He joined the British Army and served in the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and then in the 12th (Prince of Wales's) Royal Lancers, finally as a major.
Beresford contested Waterford unsuccessfully in 1837. He was elected for Harwich in the next general election in 1841, which he represented until 1847. Beresford and Charles Newdegate were the Conservative whips in the House of Commons after the party split over the Corn Laws. His relations with Benjamin Disraeli were strained, with Beresford often taking his cue from Lord Stanley in the Lords instead of the nominal leader in the commons. As Chief Whip he managed the 1852 general election, widely...
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