Baptist Leveson-Gower (3 April 1703 – 4 August 1782) was a British Tory politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

for 34 years from 1727 to 1761. Leveson-Gower was the fourth son of John Leveson Gower, 1st Baron Gower, MP, and his wife Lady Catherine Manners, daughter of

John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland and 9th Earl of Rutland (29 May 163810 January 1711) was a British MP, and Whig politician. His divorce from his first wife caused much comment, partly because it was thought to have political implications. Li ...

. He entered

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

in May 1717, aged 13 and was admitted at St. John’s College, Cambridge on 22 April 1720, aged 16. At the

1727 British general election The 1727 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was trigg ...

Leveson-Gower was returned as a Tory Member of Parliament at both

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, south-east of Aylesbury and north-east of High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. There ar ...

and

Newcastle-Under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...

, and chose to sit for Newcastle-under-Lyme on his family’s interest. He voted consistently against the Government. He was returned for Newcastle-under-Lyme in a contest at the

1734 British general election The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of Great Britain, House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scot ...

and unopposed at the

1741 British general election The 1741 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw suppo ...

. In December 1744 his brother, Lord Gower, joined the Administration, and he was appointed a Lord of Trade in 1745. He was returned again in

1747 Events January–March * January 31 – The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital. * February 11 – King George's War: A combined French and Indian force, commanded by Captain Nicolas Antoine II ...

and resigned his office in June 1749. He became a member of the Duke of Bedford’s circle and in 1751 he split from Lord Gower and went into opposition with Bedford. Leveson-Gower was returned at the

1754 British general election The 1754 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 11th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Owing to the exten ...

and was classed as a member of the Bedford group, then in opposition. He did not stand in

1761 Events January–March * January 14 – Third Battle of Panipat: In India, the armies of the Durrani Empire from Afghanistan, led by Ahmad Shah Durrani and his coalition decisively defeat the Maratha Confederacy, killing over 1 ...

. Leveson-Gower died unmarried in 1782. He was the brother of Hon.

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

and William Leveson-Gower.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leveson Gower, Baptist 1703 births 1782 deaths Younger sons of barons Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Newcastle-under-Lyme British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge