Born Hugh Smithson, Lord Percy was the 2nd Duke of Northumberland and a Member of Parliament. He was at the battles of Lexington and Concord during the American Revolutionary War, ultimately attaining the rank of Lieutenant-General.
One of the wealthiest men in England, during his lifetime, he died in July of 1817. His half-brother, James Smithson, left a bequest to the United States which was used as the initial funding for the Smithsonian Institute.
Credits
Portrait, 1788, courtesy Ancient House of Percy.
