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John Montagu (Royal Navy officer)

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John Montagu
Bornc.1719
Lackham, Wiltshire
Died7 September 1795(1795-09-07) (aged 75–76)
Fareham, Hampshire
Allegiance Kingdom of Great Britain
Service / branch Royal Navy
Years of service1733–1795
RankAdmiral
CommandsHMS Hinchinbrook
HMS Rose
HMS Ambuscade
HMS Tilbury
HMS Greenwich
HMS Bristol
HMS Kent
HMS Mermaid
HMS Elizabeth
HMS Monarch
HMS Raisonnable
HMS Panther
HMS Terrible
HMS Newark
HMS Princess Amelia
HMS Magnanime
HMS Dragon
HMS Bellona
Downs Station
North American Station
Newfoundland Station
Portsmouth Command
Battles / wars
Alma materRoyal Naval Academy
Member of Parliament
for Huntingdon
In office
1748–1754
Preceded by2 MPs
Succeeded by2 MPs

Admiral John Montagu (1719–1795) was an English naval officer and colonial governor of Newfoundland.

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He was born in 1719, son of James Montagu of Lackham, Lacock, Wiltshire (died 1747), and great-grandson of James Montagu of Lackham (1602–1665), third son of Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester.[1] Montagu began his naval career in the Royal Naval Academy, Portsmouth on 14 August 1733.[2]

He was promoted lieutenant in 1740 and served on HMS Buckingham and, in 1744, was present at the Battle of Toulon.[2] In 1757 he was present at the execution of Admiral John Byng.[2] Promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1770, he served as Commander-in-Chief of the North American Station from 1771 to 1774.[2]

In June 1772, Montagu was involved in the Gaspee Affair as the commanding officer of Lieutenant William Duddingston, where he unsuccessfully tried to identify and have prosecuted the raiders who attacked Dudingston's ship.[3]

He was promoted Vice-Admiral in 1776 and then appointed Governor and commander-in-chief of Newfoundland.[2] Montagu captured St. Pierre and Miquelon for the British and defended Newfoundland from both French and American privateers.[2] By his swift actions he had prevented the French from capturing Carbonear and Harbour Grace.[2]

In 1783 he was made Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.[4] He was promoted to Admiral of the Blue in 1782 and Admiral of the White in 1787.[2]

Family

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Montagu married Sophia Wroughton on 2 December 1748 and had one daughter and four sons. Of his sons, George and James became naval officers, while Edward became a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Artillery. His daughter Sophia lived at Dale Park and the house there was constructed for her and her husband.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Laughton, John Knox (1894). "Montagu, John (1719-1795)" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 38. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Biography at Government House The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador
  3. ^ Middlekauff, Robert (2005). The glorious cause : the American Revolution, 1763-1789. New York, NY. p. 220. ISBN 0-19-516247-1. OCLC 55960833.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ History in Portsmouth Archived 27 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Jacob M. Price, 'Smith, John Abel (1802–1871)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 accessed 16 April 2017

See also

[edit]
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Huntingdon
1748–1754
With: Edward Montagu 		Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, North American Station
1771–1774 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Commodore Governor of Newfoundland
1776–1778 		Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
1783–1786 		Succeeded by


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