Michael Seymour (Royal Navy officer)

Sir Michael Seymour
Vice Admiral Michael Seymour. Engraving by F Holl after an original by A. de Salome
Born	3 December 1802
Died	23 February 1887 Horndean, Hampshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1813–1870
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	HMS Challenger HMS Britannia HMS Powerful HMS Vindictive China Station Portsmouth Command
Battles/wars	Crimean War, Second Opium War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, GCB (3 December 1802 – 23 February 1887), was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.

Naval career

Born the third son of Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, 1st Baronet, Michael Seymour entered the Royal Navy in 1813. He was made Lieutenant in 1822, Commander in 1824 and was posted Captain in 1826. From 1833 to 1835 he was captain of the survey ship HMS Challenger, and was wrecked in her off the coast of Chile. In 1841 he was given command of HMS Britannia and then of HMS Powerful. In 1845 he took over HMS Vindictive.

From 1851 to 1854 he was Commodore Superintendent of Devonport Dockyard. In 1854 he served under Sir Charles Napier in the Baltic during the Crimean War. He was promoted to Rear-Admiral that same year and, when the Baltic campaign was resumed in 1855 under Admiral the Hon. Richard Dundas, Seymour was second in command.

On 19 February 1856 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the East Indies and China Station. Flying his flag in HMS Calcutta, he conducted operations arising from the attack on the British Coaster Arrow, helped destroy the Chinese fleet in June 1857, took Canton in December, and in 1858 he captured the forts on the Baihe (Hai River), compelling the Chinese government to consent to the Treaties of Tianjin. He was made GCB in 1859. He sat as a Liberal Member of Parliament for Devonport from 1859 to 1863. In 1863 he was made Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, a post he held until 1866. He retired in 1870.

Family

In 1829 he married Dorothy Knighton: they had a son and three daughters. He was the uncle of Sir Edward Hobart Seymour, also an admiral.

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Michael Seymour

Military offices
Preceded by Sir James Stirling	Commander-in-Chief, East Indies and China Station 1856–1859	Succeeded by Sir James Hope
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Thomas Erskine Perry and James Wilson	Member of Parliament for Devonport 1859–1863 With: James Wilson, to August 1859 Sir Arthur William Buller, from August 1859	Succeeded by William Ferrand and Sir Arthur William Buller
Military offices
Preceded by Sir Henry Bruce	Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth 1863–1866	Succeeded by Sir Thomas Pasley
Honorary titles
Preceded by Sir Provo Wallis	Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1876–1887	Succeeded by Office abolished (recreated in 1901 with Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, Bt)