Charles Brett (c. 1715 – 10 February 1799) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

between 1768 and 1790.

Early life

Brett was probably the son of Captain Timothy Brett, RN. He was at first a naval officer, and in 1755 was in charge of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

dockyard. After inheriting property on his marriage to Elizabeth Hooker, granddaughter and heir of Sir William Hooker in 1753, he retired from the navy and eventually went into politics.

Political career

A follower of Lord Howe, Brett was Paymaster of the Navy from 1766 to 1770. He entered Parliament in

1768 Events January–March * January 9 – Philip Astley stages the first modern circus, with acrobats on galloping horses, in London. * February 11 – Samuel Adams's circular letter is issued by the Massachusetts House of Rep ...

member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Lostwithiel Lostwithiel (; kw, Lostwydhyel) is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739, increasing to 2,899 at the 2011 c ...

. He resigned that seat in 1776, to be returned instead as the government-sponsored MP for

Sandwich A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...

, a constituency with a strong naval connection. From 1777 he voted consistently with the opposition, and in

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to allow ...

lost his seat when defeated by two government-backed candidates. After the fall of

Lord North Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (13 April 17325 August 1792), better known by his courtesy title Lord North, which he used from 1752 to 1790, was 12th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most o ...

's government in 1782, Brett was appointed a

Lord of the Admiralty This is a list of Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty (incomplete before the Restoration, 1660). The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of The Board of Admiralty, which exercised the office of Lord High Admiral when it was n ...

, and returned to the Commons as the Rockingham government's candidate at Dartmouth (another constituency with strong links with the navy) at a by-election on 16 April 1782. He was a Lord of the Admiralty from April 1782 to April 1783, leaving office on the fall of Shelburne's administration, and once again under

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...

from December 1783 until 1788. In 1784 he was returned unopposed as MP for Sandwich again. He did not stand in 1790.

Later life and legacy

Brett died on 10 February 1799, "far advanced in years". He and his wife Elizabeth had no children and he left his property to his nephew John, son of his brother John Brett.

References

* Robert Beatson, ''A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament'' (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807

* Lewis Namier & John Brooke, ''The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754-1790'' (London: HMSO, 1964) {{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Charles 1710s births 1799 deaths Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Dartmouth Lords of the Admiralty Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for constituencies in Cornwall British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790