Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey

General Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey (5 April 1748 – 21 November 1832), known as Francis Needham until 1818 and as The Viscount Kilmorey from 1818 to 1822, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Member of Parliament.

Early life Kilmorey was the third son of John Needham, 10th Viscount Kilmorey, and Anne (née Hurleston), daughter and co-heiress of John Hurleston, of Newton. His father had inherited his title from his brother, Thomas Needham, 9th Viscount Kilmorey, both sons of Robert Needham, 8th Viscount Kilmorey.

Career He entered the British Army in 1762 and served in the American War of Independence, where he was taken prisoner at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781. He also fought in the French Revolutionary Wars but is best remembered for his role during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. He was in overall command at the Battle of Arklow and commanded one of the five columns at the Battle of Vinegar Hill. In 1804, he was appointed Colonel of the 5th Royal Veteran Battalion. He was promoted to colonel for life of the 86th Foot in 1810 and to general in 1812.

From 1806 to 1818, Kilmorey also represented Newry in the House of Commons. He succeeded his elder brother in the viscountcy in 1818, but as this was an Irish peerage, it did not entitle him to a seat in the House of Lords. In 1822, he was honoured when he was made Viscount Newry and Mourne, in the County of Down, and Earl of Kilmorey. Both titles were in the Peerage of Ireland.

Personal life In 1787, Lord Kilmorey married Anne Fisher, a daughter of Thomas Fisher. They had two sons and eight daughters:

Francis Needham, 2nd Earl of Kilmorey (1787–1880), who married Jane Gun-Cuninghame in 1814.