b. 1807
d. 1889
James Howard Harris, the third Earl of Malmesbury, was born on 25 March 1807. Educated
at Eton and Oriel College, Oxford, he was raised to the peerage upon his father's
death on 10 September 1841, joining the House of Lords.
He became secretary of state for foreign affairs on 22 February 1852, resigning on
20 December 1852. In February 1858, Malmesbury was again appointed foreign secretary,
remaining until the
Derby administration's defeat in June 1859. He remained active in the House of Lords but
declined the foreign office post because of ill health, accepting instead the post
of lord privy seal. In February 1868 he became leader of the House of Lords, retiring
from that position in December of that year. From 1874 to 1876 he served again as
lord privy seal. Malmesbury died on 17 May 1889.
Dictionary of National Biography (London and New York: Oxford University Press, 1900-) Vol.9, pp. 9-13. Imperial Calendar, 1858. BCDES 44.2.