Desart was the second son of
John Cuffe, 1st Baron Desart, by his second wife, Dorothea Gorges. He was educated at
Christ Church, Oxford. He was a barrister and became a member of the
Inner Temple in 1756. On 25 November 1767 he succeeded his elder brother,
John Cuffe, 2nd Baron Desart, in his title, and assumed his seat in the
Irish House of Lords. Desart served as
Mayor of Kilkenny between 1771 and 1772 and again between 1779 and 1780. On 6 January 1781 he was created
Viscount Desart, of Desart in the County of Kilkenny, in the
Peerage of Ireland. He was further honoured when he was made
Earl of Desart and
Viscount Castlecuffe, also titles in the Peerage of Ireland, on 4 December 1793. Following the implementation of the
Acts of Union 1800, Desart was elected as one of the original 28
Irish representative peers, and attended the
House of Lords until his death four years later. He married Lady Anne Browne, daughter of
Peter Browne, 2nd Earl of Altamont, and Elizabeth Kelly, on 18 August 1785. Together they had three children. He was succeeded by his eldest son,
John Otway Cuffe. ==References==