George Clinton | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1686 Stourton Parva,Lincolnshire |
| Died | 10 July 1761 (aged 74–75) |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1708–1761 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands | |
| Battles / wars | |
| Signature | .png) |
Admiral of the FleetGeorge Clinton (c. 1686 – 10 July 1761) was aRoyal Navy officer and politician. Benefiting from the patronage ofThomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, he served as a naval captain during the 1720s and 1730s.
Clinton went on to beGovernor of the Colony of Newfoundland, Commodore and Commander-in-Chief of theMediterranean Fleet and thenGovernor of the Province of New York where he had to deal with the threat of a French attack duringKing George's War. He could not cope with the liberal politicians of the New York assembly who were led byJames De Lancey and resigned in 1753.
Clinton also served asMember of Parliament forSaltash, arotten borough inCornwall, from March 1757 until his death in July 1761.
Born the second son ofFrancis Clinton, 6th Earl of Lincoln, and Susan Clinton (née Penninston), Clinton joined theRoyal Navy in 1708 during theWar of the Spanish Succession.[1] Clinton enjoyed the patronage ofThomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, who was his sister-in-law's brother, and, having been promoted tocaptain on 16 June 1716, he was given command of thefifth-rateHMS Speedwell.[2] He transferred to the command of thefourth-rateHMS Monck in 1720 and served in theBaltic Sea under AdmiralSir John Norris: the ship was lost during the return journey to England, but Clinton was acquitted at the subsequentcourt-martial.[2] He was given command of the fourth-rateHMS Nottingham in 1721 and sailed to the Baltic Sea to carry out patrols before returning home again in 1722.[2]
After four years of inactivity, Clinton was given command of the fourth-rateHMS Colchester in theMediterranean Sea in 1726 and saw action escorting merchant shipping, attacking Spanish batteries and blockading the Spanish coast before transferred to the command of the fourth-rateHMS Sunderland in July 1727.[3] In 1732, Clinton was appointedcommodore of a squadron of ships which was despatched toNewfoundland where he also became governor of the colony.[4] In that role he supervised the newly appointed localmagistrates and protected the local fishing industry.[4]
Clinton took command of thesecond-rateHMS Namur asflag captain to AdmiralSir Charles Wager in June 1732 and then transferred to the command of thethird-rateHMS Berwick in theChannel Fleet in 1734.[3] He went on to be Commodore and Commander-in-Chief of theMediterranean Fleet in 1736[5] but, with theWar of Jenkins' Ear looming, he stepped down to take command of the third-rateHMS Expedition in 1739 and of the second-rateHMS St Michael in 1740 during theWar of the Austrian Succession.[3]
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Heavily in debt, Clinton lobbied the Duke of Newcastle for profitable employment as an American governor: he was appointed Governor of theProvince of New York in July 1741 and arrived in New York in September 1743 to take up his position.[3] Promoted torear-admiral on 10 December 1743[6] andvice-admiral on 23 June 1744,[7] he sought to protect New York's northern border from attack by the French: however liberal members of the New York assembly resisted his proposals as they wanted to maintain trade links with the French and with the Native Americans who were under French influence.[4]
James De Lancey, who had initially been his main adviser, turned against him and sought to block the governor's salary.[4] Clinton therefore invitedSir William Johnson to take over responsibility for Native American affairs in 1746 and appointedCadwallader Colden to be his advisor.[4] Clinton was promoted to fulladmiral on 15 July 1747.[8] Working with the MohawkchiefHendrick Theyanoguin, Johnson was able to recruitMohawk warriors to fight on the side of the British in 1747 duringKing George's War.[9] After continuing disputes with the assembly over military expenditure and payment of the governor's salary, Clinton resigned as governor in October 1753.[10]
Clinton was electedmember of parliament forSaltash, arotten borough inCornwall, in May 1754.[11] Promoted toAdmiral of the Fleet in March 1757, he died on 10 July 1761.[3]
Clinton married the heiress, Anne Carle on 19 December 1727, at St James, Westminster, London:[12] their children included GeneralSir Henry Clinton, who became a British commander in theAmerican Revolutionary War, and Lucy Mary Clinton, who married AdmiralRobert Roddam.[4]
Clinton was "a distant relative"[13] ofCharles Clinton, patriarch of a line of Clintons later prominent inNew York.[13] George Clinton, as Governor of theProvince of New York, politically patronized Charles Clinton and Charles Clinton's eponymous sonGeorge Clinton, who would later become the first Governor of the State of New York and Vice President of theUnited States.[13] Another son of Charles Clinton wasJames Clinton; both James and George served as Revolutionary War generals underGeorge Washington opposite their distant cousin Sir Henry Clinton.[13]
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSaltash 1754–1761 With:Viscount Duncannon 1754–1756 Charles Townshend 1756–1761 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Commodore Governor of Newfoundland 1731–1731 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by George Clarke (acting) | Governor of the Province of New York 1741–1753 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Admiral of the Fleet 1757–1761 | Succeeded by |
| Proprietary Governors (1610–1660) | |
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| French Governors of Plaisance (1655–1713) | |
| Lieutenant-governors of Placentia (1713–1770) | |
| Commodore-Governors (1729–1825) | |
| Civil Governors (1825–1855) | |
| Colonial Governors (1855–1907) | |
| Dominion Governors (1907–1934) | |
| Commission Governors (1934–1949) | |
| Lieutenant Governors (1949–present) | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
