Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield

Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield KG PC was a British statesman, and a man of letters, and wit. He was born in London to Philip Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Chesterfield, and Lady Elizabeth Savile, and known as Lord Stanhope until the death of his father, in 1726. Educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he subsequently embarked on the Grand Tour of the Continent, to complete his education as a nobleman, by exposure to the cultural legacies of Classical antiquity and the Renaissance, and to become acquainted with his aristocratic counterparts and the polite society of Continental Europe.

Upon assuming his seat in the House of Lords, Lord Chesterfield the orator met with acceptance and success. What had been ineffective in the House of Commons, was suddenly appreciated by educated men. In 1728, he was sent to the Hague as ambassador. Chesterfields tact and temper, dexterity and discrimination, enabled him to do good diplomatic service, for which he was rewarded with Robert Walpoles friendship, the Order of the Garter in 1730, and the position of Lord Steward. In 1732, there was born to him, by Mlle Madelina Elizabeth du Bouchet, the son, Philip, for whose advice and instruction at Westminster School Chesterfield wrote the Letters to his Son. He was the British envoy in Den Haag, when the second Treaty of Vienna was signed, which then allowed the AngloAustrian Alliance. In 1732, ill health and a reduced personal fortune cast a shadow over Chesterfields resignation as ambassador, so he returned to Britain. Moreover, Chesterfields cook, Vincent la Chapelle, accepted a pos

Source: Wikipedia