Captain John George Boss (1781–1837) was a British naval officer and Member of Parliament. He served with the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
during the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, and represented Northallerton in Parliament from 1832 to 1835.
Boss was born in
Beverley, Yorkshire
Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...
in 1785, and first went to sea as an apprentice on a merchantman. In 1796 he joined the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
as a
midshipman
A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...
Cuthbert Collingwood
Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood (26 September 1748 – 7 March 1810) was an admiral of the Royal Navy, notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, and frequently as ...
. He was briefly taken prisoner before rejoining HMS ''Centaur'' in the Caribbean, where he helped fortify the
Diamond Rock
Diamond Rock (french: rocher du Diamant) is a 175-metre-high (574 ft)the brig ''Curieux'', and was appointed her first lieutenant when she was taken into service. With the ''Curieux'' he was involved in the capture of several ships, both in the Caribbean and later on the Lisbon station. He later served on a ship of the line during the
siege of Cadiz
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...
. In 1812 he was appointed to command the sloop HMS ''Rhodian'' in the Caribbean, capturing a large number of American merchantmen as well as a Spanish privateer. He was presented with a silver-gilt cup with the inscription: "''Presented to JOHN GEORGE BOSS ESQR. Captain of his B. Majesty's Sloop RHODIAN, For his Zeal and Valor in the destruction of Two French Privateers & defending a Convoy From ST JAGO DE CUBA to HENEAGA, Diego, Monga, Pasqual Privintos, Pedro Blanco Carariego, June 28th 1812''". The cup was recently sold at Bonhams for over £40,000. The ''Rhodian'' was wrecked off Jamaica in 1813 with a large cargo of silver; despite heavy storms, the entire crew and almost all of the cargo were saved.
Boss was a Member of Parliament for the Northallerton constituency as a reformer, 1832–1835, and was promoted to the rank of captain in November 1833. He married twice: Charlotte Robinson (née Pennyman; daughter of Sir James Pennyman) in 1814, who died in 1832 aged 56, and Elizabeth Wylie in 1834. He was resident at Otterington Hall, Yorkshire.