# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Lushington, Stephen Rumbold

​LUSHINGTON, STEPHEN RUMBOLD (1776–1868), Indian official, born in May 1776, was second son of James Stephen Lushington of Rodmersham, Kent, prebendary of Carlisle and vicar of Newcastle-on-Tyne, and of Latton, Essex, by his second wife, Mary, daughter of the Rev. Humphrey Christian of Docking, Norfolk. His father, who died in 1801, was first cousin of Sir Stephen Lushington, created a baronet in 1791. He was educated at Rugby, where he entered in 1785. On 4 Sept. 1790 he was appointed to a Madras cadetship, and in 1792 was made assistant in the military, political, and secret department, Madras; in 1793 translator to the board of revenue, in 1794 deputy Persian translator to the government and Persian translator to the revenue board, in 1796 deputy-secretary to the board of revenue and under-searcher at Sea Gate, and in 1798 secretary and Persian translator to the board of revenue. From 1795 to 1799 he acted as private secretary to Lieutenant-general George (afterwards first Lord) Harris [q. v.], commander-in-chief at Madras, and part of the time civil administrator. Lushington was appointed collector at Ramnad, in the Polygar districts, 12 Jan. 1799, collector at Tinnivelly 31 July 1801, and registrar of Suddur and Foujdarry Adowlut 14 Jan. 1803. He left the East India Company's service in 1807. He sat in parliament for Rye from 1807 to 1812, and for Canterbury from 1812 to 1830. He was chairman of committees in the House of Commons for many years, joint secretary of the treasury in 1824–7, was sworn of the privy council in 1827, and from 1827 to 1835 was governor of Madras. On his return from Madras he contested Canterbury at the general election of 1835, and his success there was hailed as ‘a great conservative victory.’ He retained his seat until the dissolution in 1837. He was created an honorary D.C.L. of Oxford 12 June 1839. He died 5 Aug. 1868, aged 92, at his residence, Norton Hall, near Faversham, Kent. Lushington was twice married: first, 9 Dec. 1797, to Anne Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Lord Harris; by her (d. 1856) he had six sons and two daughters; and, secondly, in 1858 to Marianne, daughter of James Hearne of Great Portland Street, London; she died in 1864. Lushington published in 1840 a life of his father-in-law, Lord Harris.
Lushington's younger brother, Sir James Law Lushington (1779–1859), general, obtained a Madras cadetship in 1796, was posted to the Madras army in 1797, and rose to be a full general and colonel, 3rd Madras light cavalry. He was elected a director of the East India Company in 1827, was vice-chairman of the court of directors in 1836–7, and chairman in 1838–9. He founded the Addiscombe scholarship at Cheltenham College, of which he was a vice-president (Nav. and Mil. Gaz. December 1846, p. 825). He successively represented Petersfield, Hastings, and Carlisle in the House of Commons, and died in London 29 May 1859 (see Gent. Mag. 1859, ii. 91). He married Rosetta Sophia Costen, but had no children.
[Burke's Landed Gentry, 1886 ed., vol. ii.; Foster's Baronetage, in which will be found the fullest and best genealogy of all the branches of the Lushington family; Foster's Alumni Oxon.; Miles and Dowdeswell's Madras Civil Servants; Official List of Members of Parl.; Brit. Mus. Cat.; Times, August 1868.]
H. M. C.