Zachary Philip Fonnereau (31 January 1706 – 15 August 1778) was a British businessman and politician.

Early life

Fonnereau was born in London on 31 January 1706, the fourth son of Claude Fonnereau of

Christchurch Mansion Christchurch Mansion is a substantial Tudor brick mansion house built in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, by Edmund Withypoll (also written "Withipoll") around 1548–1550. The Grade I listed building is located within Christchurch Park and sits b ...

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

, a London merchant of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

extraction.

Career

Fonnereau played a prominent role in financing the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, and served as a director of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

in 1753 and 1754. He was returned as the Member of Parliament for

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the English county, county of Suffolk, England, north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the comp ...

at the 1747 election on the interest of his brother, Thomas Fonnereau, who had developed an independent interest in the borough at the expense of the Government (which had formerly controlled it by patronage). However, Zachary consistently voted in support of Government when in Parliament.

Personal life

By his marriage to Margaret Martyn, he left five children, two of whom also served as Members of Parliament for Aldeburgh: * Philip Fonnereau (1739–1797), MP for Aldeburgh from 1761 to 1768 who married Mary Parker, a daughter of Armstead Parker, MP for

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

. * Martyn Fonnereau (1741–1817), MP for Aldeburgh from 1779 to 1784 * Charlotte Fonnereau (1742–1806) * Fanny Fonnereau (1744–1827), who married George Stainforth Jr., in 1777 at Cornhill, died childless * Thomas Fonnereau (1746–1788), who married Harriet Hanson in 1786 and left children, including the author and artist Thomas George Fonnereau

References

1706 births 1778 deaths Directors of the British East India Company Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub