James Vernon the Younger (15 June 1677 – 17 April 1756) was a British government official, courtier, diplomat and Whig politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1708 to 1710. He was an envoy to Denmark from 1702 to 1707.

Early life

Vernon was the eldest son of

James Vernon James Vernon (1646–1727) was an English administrator and Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1679 and 1710. He was Secretary of State for both the Northern and the Southern Departments during the rei ...

and his wife Mary Buck, daughter of Sir John Buck, 1st Baronet, of Hamby Grange, Lincolnshire. His father was Secretary of State under

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 ...

. He was educated at Utrecht in 1690, at Rotterdam from 1690 to 1692 and a Utrecht again from 1696 to 1697.

Career

In 1691, Vernon was appointed serjeant of the chandlery. He was appointed an extra clerk of the

Her Majesty's Most Honourable 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 e ...

in 1697. His first parliamentary attempt was in a by-election in 1698 at Penryn when he was unsuccessful. He was groom of bedchamber to Duke of Gloucester from 1698 to 1700. From his close attendance on the Duke he contracted the illness from which the Duke died, and took several months to recover. At the second general election of 1701, he and his father contested

St Mawes St Mawes ( kw, Lannvowsedh) is a village on the end of the Roseland Peninsula, in the eastern side of Falmouth harbour, on the south coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village, formerly two separate hamlets, lies on the east bank of the ...

, but were unable to overcome the established interest. From 1701 to 1702 he was a Commissioner of the privy seal. In May 1702, he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. He served as British envoy to Denmark from 1702 to 1707 and was groom of bedchamber to the Prince of Denmark from 1702 to 1708. At the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

Vernon was returned as Whig

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 ...

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 ...

. In early 1709 he supported the naturalization of the Palatines, and in 1710 voted for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell, later airing his dismay that Whig leaders had made such a fuss about ‘a factious preacher much below their notice’. He became a Commissioner for excise in 1710, in compensation for his father's dismissal as teller of the Exchequer. The post, worth £800 a year, made him ineligible to stand at the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

Later life

Vernon disentangled himself from politics and chose to serve the Tory administration as an official. In 1713, he married Arethusa Boyle daughter of Charles Boyle, Lord Clifford of Lanesborough. When King George I came to the throne in 1714 and the Whigs were in power his Whig background served him and he not only kept his post but was also appointed a Clerk of the Privy Council in 1715, which he held for the rest of his life.Officeholders in modern England.
/ref> In 1716 he was again Commissioner of the Privy Seal. He lost his post at the Excise in 1726 after a disagreement with Walpole, but it was restored in 1728. In 1727 he succeeded his father. In 1713, Vernon married Arethusa Boyle d. 1728, daughter of Charles Boyle, 3rd Viscount Dungarvan and Arethusa Berkeley, with whom he had issue including Francis Vernon d. 1783 who was created 1st Earl of Shipbrook (I). Vernon devoted his efforts to religious and charitable works. He was a sponsor of the foundation of Georgia and a trustee for Bray's charity. His government duties kept him in London, but by 1733 he had purchased an estate at Great Thurlow, Suffolk, for £15,000. Later he built workhouses for several Suffolk parishes. He died on 15 or 17 April 1756, and was buried at Great Thurlow.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, James, The Younger British MPs 1708–1710 English civil servants 1677 births 1756 deaths Clerks of the Privy Council Fellows of the Royal Society Ambassadors of England to Denmark Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of Parliament for Cricklade