Captain John Rodney (10 May 1765 – 9 April 1847) was a British naval officer, politician, serving as the member of parliament for Launceston (1790–1796) and public servant, serving as the third

Colonial Secretary of Ceylon The chief secretary of Ceylon, was the chairman and one of three officers of state of the Board of Ministers of the State Council of Ceylon from 1932 to 1947. The post succeeded that of ''Colonial Secretary'' which was one of six offices that hel ...

(1806–1833). John Rodney was born on 10 May 1765 the third son of Admiral

George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a Royal Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularl ...

and the eldest son to his second wife, Henrietta née Clies, the daughter of John Clies, a Portuguese businessman.

Naval career

On 18 May 1778 he commenced studies at the

Royal Naval Academy The Royal Naval Academy was a facility established in 1733 in HMNB Portsmouth, Portsmouth Dockyard to train officers for the Royal Navy. The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardise ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

but was discharged on 28 October 1779, joining his father's flagship, '' HMS Sandwich'', as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

. On 16 January 1780 he commanded a cannon at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent and was commissioned a lieutenant on 10 September that year. On 14 October, at the age on fifteen, his father gave him the command of a recently captured Virginian

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

, ''Pocahontas'', and on the same day posted him on '' HMS Fowey''. In April 1781 he joined '' HMS Sibyl'', where he participated at the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1 ...

on 5 September 1781. Rodney fought at the

Battle of Saint Kitts The Battle of Saint Kitts, also known as the Battle of Frigate Bay, was a naval battle fought on 25 and 26 January 1782 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and a larger French fleet ...

on 26 January 1782. He was then appointed as the commander of ''

HMS Anson Eight ships or submarines of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Anson'', after Admiral George Anson: * , a 60-gun fourth rate launched in 1747 and sold in 1773. * , a 6-gun cutter that was constructed by the French as ''L'Iroquois'' in 1759. ...

'', following the death of its captain at the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

on 12 April 1782, returning with the ship to England. As a favour from the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

to his father Rodney was appointed as the member of parliament for Launceston serving between 1790 and 1796, although he rarely appeared in parliament. From 1789 to 1814 he was an

equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...

to Prince

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

Duke of Clarence and St Andrews Duke of Clarence and St Andrews was a title created in 1789 in the Peerage of Great Britain for Prince William Henry (later King William IV). He was also created Earl of Munster in the Peerage of Ireland at the same time. While there had been ...

. On 30 April 1793, following the outbreak of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

, he was given the command of ''

HMS America Six ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''America'': *English ship America (1650), English ship ''America'' (1650) was an armed merchantman in naval service between 1650 and 1654. * was a 44-gun fifth rate launched in 1748. She was re ...

'', taking a

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

from

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

back to England in September 1794. On 12 February 1795 he was appointed to captain ''

HMS Vengeance Eight ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Vengeance''. * was a 28-gun sixth rate captured from the French in 1758 and sunk as a breakwater in 1766. * was a 74-gun third rate launched in 1774. She became a prison ship in 1808 and was b ...

'', but prior to sailing he broke his leg in a carriage accident resulting in it being amputated in August, following which he was invalided out of active service.

Civil service

On 5 July 1796 Rodney was appointed the Commissioner of the Victualling Authority, remaining in the position until 4 November 1803. On 3 September 1806 he was appointed as the

Chief Secretary of Ceylon The chief secretary of Ceylon, was the chairman and one of three officers of state of the Board of Ministers of the State Council of Ceylon from 1932 to 1947. The post succeeded that of ''Colonial Secretary'' which was one of six offices that hel ...

holding the post until he resigned from the post in 1833. He was replaced with Philip Anstruther, who took up the role on 7 May 1834.

Personal life

Rodney married Lady Catherine Nugent (1766–1794), daughter of the

Thomas Nugent, 6th Earl of Westmeath Thomas Nugent, 6th Earl of Westmeath KP PC (Ire) (April 1714 – 7 September 1792), styled Lord Delvin from 1752 to 1754 was an Irish peer and freemason. He gained the title Earl of Westmeath in 1754 on the death of his father John Nugent, 5 ...

, on 4 July 1784, with whom he had three daughters and two sons. His daughter Frances Mary, married

Robert Stuart, 11th Lord Blantyre Major General Robert Walter Stuart, 11th Lord Blantyre, (10 June 1777, Edinburgh – 22 September 1830, Brussels) was a British Army officer who served throughout the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was Lord Lieutenant of Renfrew ...

. Following Catherine's death on 26 February 1794, he married Louisa Martha Stratford (1778–1814), daughter of

John Stratford, 3rd Earl of Aldborough John Stratford, 3rd Earl of Aldborough (–1823), was an Irish peer and member of the House of Stratford. He was known as Hon. John Stratford until 1801 when he inherited the Earldom from his brother Edward Stratford, 2nd Earl of Aldborough. ...

, on 19 October 1799, and they had two sons and six daughters. Louisa died on 2 December 1814 and he then married Antoinette Reyne in

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

on 7 June 1815, and they had a son and five daughters. Rodney died on 9 April 1847 in Boulogne,

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a department in the Île-de-France region of France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west and ...

, Ile-de-France, France.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodney, John 1765 births 1847 deaths Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Launceston British MPs 1790–1796 Sea captains Chief secretaries of Ceylon Sri Lankan people of British descent