Author, Politician. Sir William Temple received recognition as an author and politician as well as his relationship with Jonathan Swift, the Anglo-Irish poet, who was his secretary from 1689 to 1699. For a time after 1679, he was advisor to Charles II, the King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. After a disagreement with the King over any anti-Dutch course of action, he retired in 1680. After retirement, he purchased in 1686 a house on several acres of land at Farnham, which he renamed Moor Park, and devoted much care to designing the gardens near the river. He is well-known for his Chinese garden designs, even though he had never seen one. While in retirement, he was offered Ambassador to Spain, which he declined, and the position of Secretary of State, which he declined three times. Born the oldest of seven children of a judge, he was educated at Emmanuel College in Cambridge, starting in 1844, but did not graduate. After leaving college, he traveled throughout Europe and was employed for various diplomatic missions. Alongside his father, he was elected to the Irish parliament for Carlow in 1661, serving for several terms. After becoming in 1661 one of the parliamentary agents to the king, he began his diplomatic career in 1665 as a protégé of Charles II's secretary of state, Henry Benne and the next year he was awarded a baronetcy. From 1668 to 1671 he was Ambassador at The Hague. He was a key figure in negotiating the 1668 Triple Alliance during his first term as ambassador. Although England declared war on the Dutch in 1672, he helped to end the Dutch War in 1674. During his second term as Ambassador in 1677, he participated in the arranged marriage of King Charles II's niece Princess Mary and William of Orange in Holland. The two would become King William III and Queen Mary II of England. Although not recognized in his era, his 1673 "Observations Upon the United Provinces" has been hailed by 20th-century scholars as an excellent history of the Netherlands and republished several times until 1750. He published memoirs of his diplomatic activities. Most of his numerous essays were written after his retirement on a variety of subjects including ancient and modern learning, trade in Ireland, popular discontents, and health and long life. The essays were collected and published in volumes by Jonathan Swift. He had been a supporter of Swift's literary efforts. A collection of 42 letters between his wife and him, along with letters from the King, the Prince of Orange and other political allies was published. His collection of poems, which was penned mainly on personal subjects such as his family, was published in 1670. Many of his writings have been digitalized and online. He had several oil-on-canvas portraits painted with two being on exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Without his father-in-law's approval, he married Dorothy Osborne on December 25, 1654, and the letters of their seven-year courtship have been published. She died in 1695 and he followed in January of 1699 at Moor Park. The baronetcy became extinct upon his death as his only son committed suicide in 1689, shortly after accepting the position of Secretary of State. He and his wife had seven children but only two daughters and a son survived to adulthood. His daughter Diana died at age fourteen. In the south aisle of the nave of Westminster Abbey is a marble memorial to Sir William Temple, his wife Dorothy, daughter Diana and sister Martha Giffard, all of whom are buried nearby. His heart was placed in a silver casket under the sundial on the grounds of Moor Park. The actual sundial was lost to time, but according to a newspaper article, an altered version of the sundial was erected in the 20th century, using Temple's directions of his grave's location, which was documented in his essays.