John Damer (25 June 1744 – 15 August 1776) was an Anglo-Irish Whig politician.

Family

John was the first of three sons of

Joseph Damer, 1st Earl of Dorchester Joseph Damer, 1st Earl of Dorchester (12 March 1718 – 12 January 1798) was a country landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1741 to 1762 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Milton. He was particularly associated wi ...

by the Lady Caroline Sackville. His mother was the daughter of Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset and his wife Elizabeth Colyear. His maternal grandmother was the daughter of Lieutenant-General Walter Philip Colyear, and the niece of

David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore General David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore KT, PC ( – 2 January 1730) was a Scottish military officer and peer who served as the governor of Gibraltar from 1713 to 1720. Early life He was the elder son of Sir Alexander Colyear, 1st Ba ...

. His younger brothers were the Hon. Lionel Damer and the

George Damer, 2nd Earl of Dorchester George Damer, 2nd Earl of Dorchester, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire) (28 March 1746 – 7 March 1808), styled Viscount Milton between 1792 and 1798, was a British politician. He served as Ch ...

Education

Damer was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

(1755–61) and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

(1762).

Marriage

He married the future sculptor Anne Seymour Conway, daughter of Field Marshal Rt. Hon.

Henry Seymour Conway Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway (1721 – 9 July 1795) was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole, he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession. He held ...

and Lady Caroline Campbell, on 14 June 1767. She separated from him seven years later.

Political career

Damer was the member of parliament for Gatton (1768–1774).

Death

Damer got heavily into debt and his father refused to help him financially. He shot himself on 15 August 1776 at the Bedford Arms,

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

.Alison Yarrington, "Damer, Anne Seymour (1749–1828)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, January 200
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Legacy

Damer is mentioned in the lyrics of the traditional Irish song "

Limerick Rake "Limerick Rake" is a traditional Irish song whose composer is disputed. The lyrics are set to the tune of an earlier song titled "Agus fagaimid siúd mar atá sé". The lyrics likely date to the late 18th century, as attested by the use of the p ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Damer, John 1744 births People educated at Eton College Whig (British political party) MPs 1776 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1768–1774 Heirs apparent who never acceded

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Suicides by firearm in England