Hon.
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...
John Damer (25 June 1744 – 15 August 1776) was a British
Whig politician.
Family
John was the first of three sons 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 ...
by the Lady Caroline Sackville. His mother was the daughter of
Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset (18 January 168810 October 1765) was an English political leader and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
Life
He was the son of the 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex, and the former Lady Mar ...
and his wife Elizabeth Colyear. His maternal grandmother was the daughter of Lieutenant-General Walter Philip Colyear, and the niece of
David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore
General (United Kingdom), General David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore, (c. 1656 – 2 January 1730) was a Scottish general and Governor of Gibraltar.
Early life
He was the elder son of Sir Alexander Colyear, 1st Baronet, Sir Alexander Colye ...
. His younger brothers were the Hon.
Lionel Damer
Hon. Lionel Damer (16 September 1748 – 28 May 1807) was a British Whig politician.
Family
Lionel Damer was the third son of Joseph Damer, 1st Earl of Dorchester by Lady Caroline Sackville (daughter of Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of ...
and the
George Damer, 2nd Earl of Dorchester
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 between 1794 and 1795.
Background
Dorchest ...
.
Education
Damer 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 ...
(1755–61) 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 ...
(1762).
Marriage
He married the future sculptor
Anne Seymour Conway, daughter of Field Marshal Rt. Hon.
Henry Seymour Conway
Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway (1721 – 9 July 1795) was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole, he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession. He ...
and Lady Caroline Campbell, on 14 June 1767. She separated from him seven years later.
Political career
Damer was the
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
Gatton (1768–1774).
Death
Damer got heavily into debt and his father refused to help him financially. He shot himself on 15 August 1776 at the Bedford Arms,
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
.
[Alison Yarrington, "Damer, Anne Seymour (1749–1828)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, January 200]
Subscription site
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Legacy
Damer is mentioned in the lyrics of the traditional Irish song "Limerick Rake
"Limerick Rake" is a traditional Irish song whose composer is disputed. The lyrics are set to the tune of an earlier song titled "Agús fagaimid siúd mar atá sé". The lyrics likely date to the late 18th century, as attested by the use of the ...
".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Damer, John
1744 births
People educated at Eton College
Whig (British political party) MPs
1776 deaths
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
British MPs 1768–1774
Heirs apparent who never acceded
Dawson-Damer family
Suicides by firearm in England