General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Daniel Harvey (ca. 1664 – 6 September 1732) was a British soldier and politician who was
Governor of Guernsey
The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British crown dependency off the coast of France.
Holders of the post of Governor of Guernsey, until the role was abolished in 1835. Since then, only Lieutenant-Governors have been appointed (see Lieutenant Gover ...
from 1714 to 1732.
Life
Daniel Harvey was born in 1664 in
Coombe, near Kingston the second of three brothers. His father
Sir Daniel was the son and grandson of wealthy London merchants who married Elizabeth Montagu, daughter of
Edward Montagu, Earl of Sandwich in 1651. In 1668 he was appointed Ambassador to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
where he died in August 1672.
Harvey was educated at
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
and graduated in 1681; he joined the army in 1688, served as a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
or MP for three different constituencies between 1708 and 1722 and was
Governor of Guernsey
The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British crown dependency off the coast of France.
Holders of the post of Governor of Guernsey, until the role was abolished in 1835. Since then, only Lieutenant-Governors have been appointed (see Lieutenant Gover ...
from 1714 to 1732. He had numerous and well-connected cousins, many of whom were also MPs; in 1707 he married his cousin Anne Montagu, widow of
Alexander Popham
Alexander Popham (1605 – 1669) of Littlecote, Wiltshire, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1669. He was patron of the philosopher John Locke.
Early life
Popham was born at Littlec ...
.
Career
In this period, regiments were considered the personal property of their
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
, changed names when transferred and were disbanded as soon as possible. Commissions were assets that could be bought, sold or used as an investment; at senior levels in particular, ownership and command were separate functions and many Colonels delegated their military duties to a subordinate. Even the idea of a professional military career was comparatively new in late 17th century England which made it possible for people like Harvey to simultaneously pursue a political and military career.
Harvey first appears as Captain in a cavalry regiment raised by
Lord Delamere in 1688 to support
William III William III or William the Third may refer to:
Kings
* William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198)
* William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702)
* William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...
. Delamere quickly relinquished command to Theodore Russell, an experienced Irish Protestant soldier and the regiment was posted to Ireland during the 1689–1691
Williamite War
The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...
.
In 1694, Harvey became Colonel of a Regiment of Horse which served in Flanders until it was disbanded following the
Treaty of Ryswick
The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance, which included England, ...
in 1697. He purchased the position of Colonel in the
3rd Regiment of Horse in 1699 on the death of the previous commander
Richard Leveson and retained this until 1712.
During the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
, Harvey was promoted Major-General in May 1704 and his unit sent to Portugal to support
Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...
, Austrian candidate for King of Spain. However, he does not appear to have spent much time there; he returned to England before campaigning began in 1705 and in 1706
Lord Godolphin
Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, (15 June 1645 – 15 September 1712) was a leading British politician of the late 17th and the early 18th centuries. He was a Privy Councillor and Secretary of State for the Northern Department b ...
wrote of his ‘indignation’ at seeing Harvey and
Lord Mohun
Charles Mohun, 4th Baron Mohun (c. 1675 – 15 November 1712) was an English politician best known for his frequent participation in duels and for his reputation as a rake. He was killed in the celebrated Hamilton–Mohun Duel in Hyde Pa ...
in London 'while their regiments are serving abroad.'
He was promoted to
Lieutenant-General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
in 1707 and
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
in 1709.
Harvey now focused on his political career, generally siding with the
Whigs. In January 1707 he was elected
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
or MP for
Clitheroe
Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...
, a seat controlled by his uncle
the Duke of Montagu. Clitheroe returned two MPs, the other being his elder brother Edward, a
Tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
later implicated in the 1722 Jacobite
Atterbury Plot
The Atterbury Plot was a conspiracy led by Francis Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester and Dean of Westminster, aimed at the restoration of the House of Stuart to the throne of Great Britain. It came some years after the unsuccessful Jacobite ri ...
. Harvey strengthened his connection with the Montagus a few months later by marrying his recently widowed cousin Anne.
In 1710, he voted in favour of the impeachment of
Dr Henry Sacheverell, a decision that led to the anti-Whig
Sacheverell Riots
The Sacheverell riots were a series of outbreaks of public disorder, which spread across England during the spring, summer and autumn of 1710 in which supporters of the Tories attacked the homes and meeting-houses of Dissenters, particularly tho ...
which were followed by a Tory landslide in the 1710 election. Harvey lost his seat and resigned from the Army in 1712 when ordered to rejoin his regiment or be court-martialled. When
George I George I or 1 may refer to:
People
* Patriarch George I of Alexandria ( fl. 621–631)
* George I of Constantinople (d. 686)
* George I of Antioch (d. 790)
* George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9)
* George I of Georgia (d. 1027)
* Yuri Dolgoruk ...
came to the throne in 1714, the Whigs returned to power; Harvey was appointed
Governor of Guernsey
The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British crown dependency off the coast of France.
Holders of the post of Governor of Guernsey, until the role was abolished in 1835. Since then, only Lieutenant-Governors have been appointed (see Lieutenant Gover ...
in 1714 and served as MP for
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis from 1715 to 1722 but never achieved government office.
Family
Daniel Harvey and Anne Montagu (1674 – January 1742) had one daughter, in addition to Anne's daughter from her marriage to Alexander Popham;
* Ann Harvey; died young;
* Elizabeth Popham (22 May 1693 – 20 March 1761);
Notes
References
Sources
* Eveline Cruickshanks
HARVEY, Daniel (?1664-1732), of Mitcham, Surr.in ''
The History of Parliament
The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...
: the House of Commons 1715-1754'' (1970)
* Paula Watson and Richard Harrison
HARVEY, Daniel (c.1664-1732), of Mitcham, Surr.in ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715'' (2002)
* John Burke
A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland, and Scotland, extinct, dormant, and in abeyance ... Englandp. 116, Henry Colburn (1846)
* Joseph Haydn
The Book of Dignities: Containing Lists of the Official Personages of the British Empire ... from the Earliest Periods to the Present Time ... Together with the Sovereigns and Rulers of Europe, from the Foundation of Their Respective States; the Peerage of England and Great Britainp. 317, Longmans, Brown, Green, and Longmans (1851)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, Daniel
1664 births
1732 deaths
Military personnel from Surrey
British Army generals
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession
1660s births
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) officers
English MPs 1705–1707
British MPs 1707–1708
British MPs 1708–1710
British MPs 1713–1715
British MPs 1715–1722