Captain John Rodney (10 May 1765 – 9 April 1847) was a British naval officer, politician, serving as 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 Launceston (1790–1796) and public servant, serving as the third

Colonial Secretary of Ceylon The Chief Secretary of Ceylon, was the Chairman and one of three officers of state of the Board of Ministers of the State Council of Ceylon from 1932 to 1947. The post succeeded that of ''Colonial Secretary'' which was one of six offices that hel ...

(1806–1833). John Rodney was born on 10 May 1765 the third son of Admiral

George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the ...

and the eldest son to his second wife, Henrietta née Clies, the daughter of John Clies, a Portuguese businessman.

Naval career

On 18 May 1778 he commenced studies at the

Royal Naval Academy The Royal Naval Academy was a facility established in 1733 in Portsmouth Dockyard to train officers for the Royal Navy. The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardised training, educa ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

but was discharged on 28 October 1779, joining his father's flagship, '' HMS Sandwich'', 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 ...

. On 16 January 1780 he commanded a cannon at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent and was commissioned a lieutenant on 10 September that year. On 14 October, at the age on fifteen, his father gave him the command of a recently captured Virginian

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

, ''Pocahontas'', and on the same day posted him on '' HMS Fowey''. In April 1781 he joined '' HMS Sibyl'', where he participated at the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 17 ...

on 5 September 1781. Rodney fought at the

Battle of Saint Kitts The Battle of Saint Kitts, also known as the Battle of Frigate Bay, was a naval battle fought on 25 and 26 January 1782 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and a larger French fleet u ...

on 26 January 1782. He was then appointed as the commander of ''

HMS Anson Eight ships or submarines of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Anson'', after Admiral George Anson: * , a 60-gun fourth rate launched in 1747 and sold in 1773. * , a 6-gun cutter that was constructed by the French as ''L'Iroquois'' in 1759. T ...

'', following the death of its captain at the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

on 12 April 1782, returning with the ship to England. As a favour from the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

to his father Rodney was appointed as the

for Launceston serving between 1790 and 1796, although he rarely appeared in parliament. From 1789 to 1814 he was an

equerry An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...

to Prince

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

Duke of Clarence and St Andrews Duke of Clarence and St Andrews was a title awarded to a prince of the British Royal family. The creation was in the Peerage of Great Britain. While there had been several creations of Dukes of Clarence (and there was later a Duke of Clarence a ...

. On 30 April 1793, following the outbreak of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

, he was given the command of '' HMS America'', taking a

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

from

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

back to England in September 1794. On 12 February 1795 he was appointed to captain the ''

HMS Vengeance Eight ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Vengeance''. * was a 28-gun sixth rate captured from the French in 1758 and sunk as a breakwater in 1766. * was a 74-gun third rate launched in 1774. She became a prison ship in 1808 and was b ...

'', but prior to sailing he broke his leg in a carriage accident resulting in it being amputated in August, following which he was invalided out of active service.

Civil service

On 5 July 1796 Rodney was appointed the Commissioner of the Victualling Authority, remaining in the position until 4 November 1803. On 3 September 1806 he was appointed as the

Chief Secretary of Ceylon The Chief Secretary of Ceylon, was the Chairman and one of three officers of state of the Board of Ministers of the State Council of Ceylon from 1932 to 1947. The post succeeded that of ''Colonial Secretary'' which was one of six offices that he ...

holding the post until he resigned from the post in 1833. He was replaced with Philip Anstruther, who took up the role on 7 May 1834.

Personal life

Rodney married Lady Catherine Nugent (1766–1794), daughter of the

Thomas Nugent, 6th Earl of Westmeath Thomas Nugent, 6th Earl of Westmeath KP PC (Ire) (April 1714 – 7 September 1792), styled Lord Delvin from 1752 to 1754 was an Irish peer and freemason. He gained the title Earl of Westmeath in 1754 on the death of his father John Nugent, 5th ...

, on 4 July 1784, with whom he had three daughters and two sons. Following Catherine's death on 26 February 1794 he married Louisa Martha Stratford (1748–1814), the eldest daughter of the

John Stratford, 3rd Earl of Aldborough John Stratford, 3rd Earl of Aldborough (–1823) was an Irish peer and member of the House of Stratford. He was known as the Hon. John Stratford until 1801, when he inherited the Earldom from his brother Edward Stratford, 2nd Earl of Aldborough. ...

, on 19 October 1799, and they had two sons and six daughters. Louisa died on 2 December 1814 and he then married Antoinette Reyne in

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

on 7 June 1815, and they had a son and five daughters. Rodney died on 9 April 1847 in Boulogne,

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a Departments of France, département in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, Northern France. It covers Paris's western inner Banlieue, suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the e ...

, Ile-de-France, France.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodney, John 1765 births 1847 deaths Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Launceston British MPs 1790–1796 Sea captains Chief Secretaries of Ceylon People from British Ceylon Sri Lankan people of British descent