The Dictionary of Australasian Biography/Loftus, The Right Hon. Lord Augustus William Frederick Spencer
Loftus, The Right Hon. Lord Augustus William Frederick Spencer, G.C.B., P.C., is the fourth son of the second Marquis of Ely and Anna Maria his wife, daughter of Sir H. W. Dashwood, Bart. He was born on Oct. 4th, 1817, and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he took the degree of M.A. Entering the diplomatic service, he was appointed attaché at Berlin in 1837 and paid attaché at Stuttgart in 1844. He accompanied Sir Stratford Canning (afterwards Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe) on his special mission to the Courts of Berlin, Vienna, Munich, and Athens in March 1848. He was appointed Secretary of the Legation at Stuttgart in 1852 and in Berlin in 1853, and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Vienna in March 1858. In August of the same year he was sent to represent the Queen at the marriage of his Serene Highness Prince Leiningen with the Princess Mary of Baden at Carlsruhe. In Dec 1860 Lord Augustus was transferred to Berlin. On the elevation of the mission in Berlin to the rank of an embassy he was removed, on Oct. 28th, 1862, to Munich, which was on that occasion raised to the rank of a first-class mission. He was created K.C.B. on Dec. 12th, 1862, was promoted to be Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the King of Prussia on Jan. 19th, 1866, and was made G.C.B. on July 6th, 1866. Lord Augustus was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the North German Confederation on Feb. 24th, 1868, was sworn of the Privy Council on Nov. 11th, 1868, and was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Emperor of Russia on Oct. 16th, 1871. The latter post he held till Feb. 1879, when he was appointed Governor of New South Wales, where he remained till 1885, when he was succeeded by Lord Carrington. Lord Augustus Loftus took an active part in the despatch of the New South Wales contingent to the Soudan, and indeed it is doubtful whether he may not claim to have been the author of the project for offering colonial aid to the imperial authorities on this occasion. Lord Augustus retired on a pension, and resides in England. He married on August 9th, 1845, Emma, daughter of Admiral Henry Francis Greville, C.B. In 1892 he published his “Diplomatic Reminiscences”.