James Craggs | |
|---|---|
 Portrait bySir Godfrey Kneller,c. 1708 | |
| Secretary at War | |
| In office 1717–1718 | |
| Preceded by | William Pulteney |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Castlecomer |
| Secretary of State for the Southern Department | |
| In office 1718–1721 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Addison |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Carteret |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1686-04-09)9 April 1686 |
| Died | 16 February 1721(1721-02-16) (aged 34) |
James Craggs the YoungerPC (9 April 1686 – 16 February 1721), was an English politician.
Craggs was born atWestminster, the son ofJames Craggs the Elder. Part of his early life was spent abroad, where he made the acquaintance ofGeorge Louis,Elector of Hanover, afterwards King George I of Great Britain. In 1713 he becamemember of parliament forTregony, in 1717Secretary at War, and in the following yearSecretary of State for the Southern Department. Craggs was implicated in theSouth Sea Bubble, but not so deeply as his father, whom he predeceased, dying on 16 February 1721, aged 34. Among Craggs's friends wereAlexander Pope (who wrote the epitaph on his monument inWestminster Abbey),Joseph Addison andJohn Gay.[1]
James Craggs left an illegitimate daughter, Harriot Craggs, by the noted dancer and actressHester Santlow. Harriot was probably born in February 1713[2] and she was married firstly in 1726 toRichard Eliot, having nine children includingEdward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot and secondly in 1749 toJohn Hamilton by whom she had a son.
James Craggs also left two Illegitimate sons, each named James, by different mothers, Reference to these may be found in the Will of his uncle, Michael Richards, who left bequests to Harriot and to each of the sons. One of the sons died at sea in 1740 as a lieutenant in the Royal Navy under the name James Smith, but noted as being the natural son of the late Secretary Craggs.
In 1719 he was one of the original backers of theRoyal Academy of Music, establishing a London opera company which commissioned numerous works fromHandel,Bononcini and others.[3]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Craggs, James s.v.".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 361.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forTregony 1713–1721 With:Sir Edmund Prideaux, Bt 1713–1720 Charles Talbot 1720–1721 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary at War 1717–1718 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1718–1721 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
