Lieutenant-General George Boscawen (1 December 1712 – 3 May 1775) was a British Army officer and politician, the fourth son of
Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth
Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth (pronounced "Boscowen") ( ; ca. 1680 – 25 October 1734), was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons for Cornish constituencies from 1702 until 1720 when he was raised to the peerage ...
.
Believed to have been educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
, he was commissioned as an
Ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
in the
First Foot Guards in 1728, and promoted to
Captain in 1738.
He saw active service during the
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's ...
, distinguishing himself at the battles of
Fontenoy and
Dettingen.
On 3 February 1743, he was married to Ann Trevor, the daughter of
John Morley Trevor. The couple would go on to have two sons and two daughters.
Shortly after his marriage, on 22 February,
he was elected as Member of Parliament for
Penryn, following the decision of
Edward Vernon (who had been simultaneously elected for three different constituencies) to take up his seat at
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...
.
He was promoted to the rank of
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
on 18 August 1749, and appointed as
Aide-de-camp to
King George II on 14 October the same year.
In 1750 he was made Lieutenant-Governor of the
Scilly Isles
The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...
, a post he would occupy until his death.
On 4 March 1752 he was named colonel of the
29th Regiment of Foot and led that regiment during a lengthy posting to Ireland.
He was promoted to the rank of
Major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
on 14 January 1758, and to
Lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
on 22 February 1760. On 16 January 1761, he was transferred to become colonel of the
23rd Regiment of Foot.
In the
general election of 1761, he stood down at Penryn and was elected, on 1 April 1761,
to represent
Truro
Truro (; kw, Truru) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its population was 18,766 in the 2011 census. People of Truro ...
instead. This constituency was controlled by his brother,
Lord Falmouth, and generally returned members of the Boscawen family.
Boscawen would sit for Truro until the
election of 1774, when he would leave parliament to be replaced by his son
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
. During his 31-year parliamentary career, he only once voted against the government of the day – voting against the
Cider Act in 1764 – and waited until 1770 to make his only recorded contribution to a debate.
George Boscawen died in York Street, St James's, London, on 3 May 1775.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Boscawen, George
1712 births
1775 deaths
People educated at Eton College
British Army lieutenant generals
British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession
British MPs 1741–1747
British MPs 1747–1754
British MPs 1754–1761
British MPs 1761–1768
British MPs 1768–1774
Grenadier Guards officers
Royal Welch Fusiliers officers
29th Regiment of Foot officers
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Penryn
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Truro
Younger sons of viscounts