Edward Strutt, 1st Baron Belper PC FRS (26 October 1801 – 30 June 1880), was a British Whig Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1852 to 1854 under Lord Aberdeen.

Background and education

Born at St Helen's House Derby, Strutt was the only son of William Strutt, of St Helen's House, Derbyshire, and the grandson of Jedediah Strutt. His mother was Barbara, daughter of Thomas Evans.

He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was President of the Cambridge Union in 1821. Strutt graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 1823, promoted to Master of Arts three years later.{{acad|id=STRT819E|name=Strutt, Edward}}{{cite book | last = Dod | first = Robert P. | title = The Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland | year = 1860 | publisher = Whitaker and Co. | location = London | pages = 114 }}

Political career

Strutt entered the British House of Commons in 1830, sitting as Member of Parliament for Derby until 1848, when he was unseated on petition.{{cite web |publisher=Leigh Rayment |title=The House of Commons constituencies beginning with 'D' |url=http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Dcommons3.htm |access-date=1 July 2016 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810231616/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Dcommons3.htm |archive-date=10 August 2009 }} He represented Arundel from 1851 to 1852{{cite web |publisher=Leigh Rayment |title=The House of Commons constituencies beginning with 'A' |url=http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Acommons3.htm |access-date=1 July 2016 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220042540/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Acommons3.htm |archive-date=20 December 2009 }} and Nottingham from 1852 to 1856.{{cite web |publisher=Leigh Rayment |title=The House of Commons constituencies beginning with 'N' |url=http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Ncommons3.htm |access-date=1 July 2016 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407065925/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Ncommons3.htm |archive-date=7 April 2017 }} He was Chief Commissioner of Railways between 1846 and 1848 and served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1853 to 1854 in Lord Aberdeen's coalition government.{{cite web |publisher=Leigh Rayment |title=Peerage: Basset de Sapcote to Benson |url=http://www.leighrayment.com/peers/peersB2.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080608021935/http://www.leighrayment.com/peers/peersB2.htm |archive-date=8 June 2008 |url-status=usurped |access-date=1 July 2016}} He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1846{{London Gazette |issue=20656 |date=3 November 1846 |page=3835 }} and in 1856 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Belper, of Belper, in the County of Derby.{{London Gazette |issue=21915 |date=22 August 1856 |page=2868 }}

Strutt also held the honorary posts of High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1850 and Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire between 1864 and 1880, having been previously a Deputy Lieutenant. In 1860 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society{{cite web |publisher=Royal Society |title=Fellows 1660–2007 |url=https://royalsociety.org/~/media/Royal_Society_Content/about-us/fellowship/Fellows1660-2007.pdf |access-date=7 July 2016}} and between 1871 and 1879, he was President of University College, London.

Family

File:Memorial window in St Mary's Church, Nottingham to Edward Strutt, 1st Baron Belper.jpg. His coat of arms can be seen in the left hand light of the second tier.]]

Lord Belper married Amelia Harriet Otter, daughter of the Right Reverend William Otter, Bishop of Chichester, on 28 March 1837. They had several children. They were the parents of Henry Strutt, 2nd Baron Belper.

Children from the marriage were:

Caroline Strutt (d. 23 July 1926) married Sir Kenelm Edward Digby, son of Kenelm Henry Digby and Caroline Sheppard, on 30 August 1870.
Ellen Strutt (d. 31 December 1940) married George Murray Smith the Younger on 22 October 1885.
Sophia Strutt (d. 2 December 1928) married Sir Henry Denis Le Marchant, 2nd Baronet., son of Sir Denis Le Marchant, 1st Baronet, on 7 September 1869.
William Strutt (7 May 1838 – 19 January 1856) died in Bonn, Germany.
Henry Strutt, 2nd Baron Belper (20 May 1840 – 26 July 1914)
Arthur Strutt (3 Mar 1842 – 6 February 1877) married Alice Mary Elizabeth March Phillipps de Lisle, daughter of Ambrose Lisle March Phillipps De Lisle and Laura Maria Clifford, on 22 April 1873.

He built his family seat, Kingston Hall, Nottinghamshire and moved in 1846.

Lord Belper died at Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, in June 1880, aged 78, and was succeeded in the barony by his second but eldest surviving son, Henry. A stained glass window was erected in the north side of the chancel in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham in his memory.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} Lady Belper died in December 1890.

{{s-ttl| title = Member of Parliament for Derby

| with = Henry Cavendish 1830–1835

| with2 = John Ponsonby 1835–1847

| with3 = Frederick Leveson-Gower 1847–1848

| years = 1830–1848 }}

{{s-ttl| title = Member of Parliament for Arundel

| years = 1851–1852 }}

{{s-ttl| title = Member of Parliament for Nottingham

| years = 1852–1856 }}

{{succession box|title=Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster|before=Robert Adam Christopher|after=The Earl Granville|years=1853–1854}}

{{succession box | title=Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire | before=The Duke of Newcastle | years=1864–1880 | after=The Duke of St Albans}}

{{succession box | before=Granville Harcourt-Vernon | title=High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire | years=1850 | after=John Francklin}}