George Damer, 2nd Earl of Dorchester, PC, PC (Ire) (28 March 1746 – 7 March 1808), styled Viscount Milton between 1792 and 1798, was a British politician. He served as

Chief Secretary for Ireland The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, and officially the "Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant", from the early 19th century un ...

between 1794 and 1795.

Background

Dorchester was the second son of

Joseph Damer, 1st Earl of Dorchester Joseph Damer, 1st Earl of Dorchester (12 March 1718 – 12 January 1798) was a country landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1741 to 1762 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Milton. He was particularly associated w ...

. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, where he took his MA in 1767.

Political career

Lord Dorchester sat as Member of Parliament for

Cricklade Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227. History Cricklade ...

between 1768 and 1774, for Anstruther Burghs between 1778 and 1780, for Dorchester between 1780 and 1790 and for Malton between 1792 and 1798. He also represented

Naas Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...

in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...

between 1795 and 1798 and served under

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...

between 1794 and 1795. He was sworn of the

British Privy Council The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...

in 1794 and of the Irish Privy Council in 1795. He succeeded his father in the earldom on 12 January 1798, his elder brother having committed suicide in 1776, and entered the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. On 25 June 1798, he was appointed colonel of the

Dorset Militia The Dorset Militia (also titled Dorsetshire Militia) was a county Militia regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1757 to 1881. Purpose The militias that were listed in the army of Queen Victoria were those units created by the M ...

in succession to Lord Rivers, but resigned in late 1799. Lord Dorchester was also

Lord Lieutenant of Dorset The Office of the Lord Lieutenant was created during the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547), taking over the military duties of the Sheriff of Dorset and control of the military forces of the Crown. From 1569, there was provision for the appointment o ...

, and colonel of the Dorsetshire Yeomanry Cavalry, from 1803 to 1808.

Personal life

Lord Dorchester was a great favourite of the Royal family who always stayed with him at his estate at

Milton Abbey Milton Abbey school is an independent school for day and boarding pupils in the village of Milton Abbas, near Blandford Forum in Dorset, in South West England. It has 224 pupils , in five houses: Athelstan, Damer, Hambro, Hodgkinson and Tregonw ...

near Weymouth. He died unmarried in

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from May ...

, London, in March 1808, aged 61, when his titles became extinct. His estates were inherited by his sister Lady Caroline Damer, and on her death in 1828 by their Dawson cousins, who assumed the additional name of Damer. John Dawson-Damer, 2nd Earl of Portarlington, inherited the large but encumbered Irish properties, and his younger brothers Henry and George Dawson-Damer received respectively the estates of Milton Abbey and Came.''Burke's Peerage'', 1831; Journal of Mary Frampton

885 Year 885 ( DCCCLXXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Emperor Charles the Fat summons a meeting of officials at Lobith (moder ...

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorchester, George Damer, 2nd Earl Of 1746 births 1808 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British Militia officers Damer, George Damer, George Damer, George Damer, George Milton, George Damer, Viscount Milton, George Damer, Viscount Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain Milton, George Damer, Viscount Lord-Lieutenants of Dorset Milton, George Damer, Viscount Damer, George Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry officers Whig (British political party) MPs Place of birth unknown Chief Secretaries for Ireland Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kildare constituencies Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Cricklade Dawson-Damer family