Lord Edmond George Petty Fitzmaurice was born in 1846, and was the younger son of Henry, 4th Marquis of Lansdowne. Lord Fitzmaurice was educated at Eton and at Trinity College, Cambridge (BA 1866, MA 1872), and was called to the Bar at Lincolns Inn 1871, he then became a Magistrate for Wiltshire. Between 1868-85 he was M.P for Calne and for the Crickdale Div. of Wiltshire from 1898-1905. In 1882 Lord Fitzmaurice was created Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs a post which he held until 1905, he also became Chairman of the Wiltshire County Council from 1896-1906. In 1905 Lord Fitzmaurice was reappointed Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs a position of which he held under his brother Henry, 5th Marquis of Lansdowne Secretary for Foreign Affairs.