Philip Stanhope Chesterfield and Adoption

Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield by Thomas Gainsborough
Source: Wikipedia.org.

Biography

1755-1815

English Nobleman

Stanhope was the distant cousin and godson of Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773), the author of Letters to His Son (1774) and Letters to His Godson (1790). When the fourth earl's biological son, also named Philip Stanhope, died prematurely in 1768 the earl adopted him as his heir. He had already publicly declared he would treat his godson as a grandchild (when he was four years old) and always took an active interest in his upbringing, although he was not an orphan.

After succeeding to the title, the 5th earl was made ambassador to Madrid in 1784, but never took up the post, resigning in 1787; he was also appointed to the Privy Council in 1784, and held the positions of Master of the Mint and Master of the Horse.

References

Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia, 1993-97 Dictionary of National Biography