Lieutenant-General George Boscawen (1 December 1712 – 3 May 1775) was a British Army officer and politician, the fourth son of

Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth (pronounced "Boscowen") ( ; ca. 1680 – 25 October 1734), was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons for Cornish constituencies from 1702 until 1720 when he was raised to the peerage ...

. Believed to have been educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

, he was commissioned as an

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the First Foot Guards in 1728, and promoted to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1738. He saw active service during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

, distinguishing himself at the battles of Fontenoy and Dettingen. On 3 February 1743, he was married to Ann Trevor, the daughter of John Morley Trevor. The couple would go on to have two sons and two daughters. Shortly after his marriage, on 22 February, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Penryn, following the decision of

Edward Vernon Admiral Edward Vernon (12 November 1684 – 30 October 1757) was an English naval officer. He had a long and distinguished career, rising to the rank of admiral after 46 years service. As a vice admiral during the War of Jenkins' Ear, in 1 ...

(who had been simultaneously elected for three different constituencies) to take up his seat at

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

. He was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

on 18 August 1749, and appointed as Aide-de-camp to King George II on 14 October the same year. In 1750 he was made Lieutenant-Governor of the

Scilly Isles The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...

, a post he would occupy until his death. On 4 March 1752 he was named colonel of the

29th Regiment of Foot The 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1694. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion, the Worcestershire Reg ...

and led that regiment during a lengthy posting to Ireland. He was promoted to the rank of

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

on 14 January 1758, and 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 ...

on 22 February 1760. On 16 January 1761, he was transferred to become colonel of the

23rd Regiment of Foot Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

. In the general election of 1761, he stood down at Penryn and was elected, on 1 April 1761, to represent

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...

instead. This constituency was controlled by his brother, Lord Falmouth, and generally returned members of the Boscawen family. Boscawen would sit for Truro until the election of 1774, when he would leave parliament to be replaced by his son

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

. During his 31-year parliamentary career, he only once voted against the government of the day – voting against the Cider Act in 1764 – and waited until 1770 to make his only recorded contribution to a debate. George Boscawen died in York Street, St James's, London, on 3 May 1775.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Boscawen, George 1712 births 1775 deaths People educated at Eton College British Army lieutenant generals British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 Grenadier Guards officers Royal Welch Fusiliers officers 29th Regiment of Foot officers Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Penryn Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Truro Younger sons of viscounts