Queensberry, Marquess of (1844-1900), a British sportsman, sponsored the boxing code that bears his name (see Queensberry Rules ). His given name was John Sholto Douglas. The Queensberry Rules were actually written by John Graham Chambers of the Amateur Athletic Club. Douglas was born on July 20, 1844, and became the eighth marquess when only 14. He served in the British Parliament from 1872 to 1880. He died on Jan. 31, 1900.
In 1895, Queensberry accused the Irish author Oscar Wilde of homosexuality, then illegal in England. The charge was based on Wilde’s relationship with Queensberry’s son Lord Alfred Douglas. Wilde sued the marquess for criminal libel. Wilde’s case collapsed in court, and he dropped the suit. But the writer eventually was arrested and convicted of homosexuality and served two years in prison.
