Sir John Rushout, 4th Baronet (6 February 16852 February 1775), of
Northwick Park
Northwick Park is a large green public park between Harrow and Kenton in north-west London, forming part of the London Borough of Brent. Most of the park consists of playing fields. It is also the name of the electoral ward of Brent that cover ...
, Worcestershire was a British 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. ...
for 55 years from 1713 to 1768. He was a supporter of Pulteney in opposition to Walpole, and was briefly part of an Administration. He was
Father of the House from 1762.
Early life
Rushout was the fourth son of
Sir James Rushout, 1st Baronet
Sir James Rushout, 1st Baronet (22 March 1644 – 16 February 1698), of Northwick Park, Worcestershire, was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1670 and 1698.
Rushout was the fifth but only surviving son of ...
and his wife, Alice Pitt, daughter of Edmund Pitt. His elder brother
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguati ...
succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father.
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 ...
in 1698, and joined the army. He was a cornet in the
Royal Horse Guards in 1705 and lieutenant in 1706. In 1710, he became captain. On the death of his nephew, the third baronet, on 21 September 1711 he succeeded to the
baronetcy
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
and most of the family's estates in Worcestershire. He resigned his army commission in January 1712 which he later claimed was to pre-empt his dismissal under the Duke of Ormond's policy of weeding out Whig officers in order to defeat the Hanoverian succession.
In 1729, he married Lady Anne Compton, the sixth daughter of
George Compton, 4th Earl of Northampton
George Compton, 4th Earl of Northampton, PC (18 October 1664 – 15 April 1727), styled Lord Compton from 1664 to 1681, was a British peer and politician.
Northampton was the son of James Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton, and his wife Mary (né ...
in 1729.
[
]
Career
Rushout was elected at a by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
on 20 April 1713 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 Malmesbury
Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upp ...
, with the support of Lord Wharton
Baron Wharton is a title in the Peerage of England, originally granted by letters patent to the heirs male of the Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton, 1st Baron, which was forfeited in 1729 when the last male-line heir was declared an outlaw. The B ...
. He voted against the French commerce bill on 18 June 1713. At the 1713 British general election, he stood without success at Evesham, but was returned unopposed for Malmesbury again. He voted against the expulsion of Richard Steele on 18 March 1714 and acted as a teller for the Whig side on the Harwich election petition on 16 July 1714.[
At the 1715 British general election, Rushout was returned again as MP for Malmesbury. He voted against the septennial bill, but for the repeal of the Occasional Conformity and Schism Acts. He was absent from the vote on the ]Peerage Bill
{{short description, Proposed British law of 1719
The Peerage Bill was a 1719 measure proposed by the British Whig government led by James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope and Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland which would have largely halted the ...
. At the 1722 British general election, he was returned for both Malmesbury and Evesham. However he was unseated on petition at Malmesbury on 13 December 1722, and so took up his seat at Evesham. He initiated the House of Commons inquiry into the Atterbury plot, and in 1725 sponsored the complaint leading to Lord Macclesfield's impeachment. [
He then followed his friend, William Pulteney, into opposition. He spoke against a vote of credit on 25 March 1726, and introduced a bill against election bribery on 27 April which was lost in the House of Lords after being passed in the Commons. He was returned as MP for Evesham at the 1727 British general election and was a lieutenant to Pulteney, playing a leading role in the Whig opposition. He acted as Pulteney's second in his duel with Lord Hervey in 1731. He chaired a select committee of the House of Commons, whose report led to the passing of the Molasses Act. During the excise bill crisis in 1733 he was put down as secretary at war in the list of a new ministry prepared by the opposition leaders.][
At the 1734 British general election, he was returned again for Evesham. He spoke in favour of increasing the allowance to ]Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Caroline. Frederick was the fath ...
on 22 February 1737. It was said he was a frequent and boring speaker, with a trick of always putting out one leg and looking at it while speaking. At the 1741 British general election, he was returned again as MP for Evesham.
On the fall of Walpole in 1742, Rushout, with Samuel Sandys
Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys (; 10 August 1695 – 21 April 1770), was a British Whig politician who represented Worcester in the House of Commons from 1718 until 1743, when he was created Baron Sandys. He held numerous posts in the governm ...
, and Phillips Gybbon
Phillips Gybbon (11 October 1678 – 12 March 1762), of Hole Park, Rolvenden, in Kent, was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1707 and 1762.
Gybbon was the son of Robert Gybbon of Hole Park, and his wife E ...
became Pulteney's representatives on the new Treasury board, where they combined to outvote the first lord, Wilmington. He was elected to the secret committee of enquiry into Walpole's Administration, but defended John Scrope, the secretary of the Treasury, for refusing to give evidence. When Pelham replaced Wilmington, under a compromise, Rushout was appointed Treasurer of the Navy
The Treasurer of the Navy, originally called Treasurer of Marine Causes or Paymaster of the Navy, was a civilian officer of the Royal Navy, one of the principal commissioners of the Navy Board responsible for naval finance from 1524 to 1832. T ...
in 1743 and was made a Privy Counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...
in 1744.
However, he was turned out of office with most of Bath's followers in 1744. He spoke against the Queen of Hungary's subsidy on 18 February 1745 with the intention of sowing dissensions between the Old Whigs and the Government's new allies. He also refused to make any payments from the sums standing in his account as treasurer of the navy, thus holding up payments, for 8 or 9 months, to all the seamen who had not received their pay up to the date of his dismissal.
When Bath and Granville made their abortive attempt to form an Administration in February 1746, he was expected to be appointed Leader of the House of Commons
The leader of the House of Commons is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom whose main role is organising government business in the House of Commons. The leader is generally a member or attendee of the cabinet of t ...
, but Pulteney's attempt to form a government collapsed before Rushout could be offered the position. He was returned at Evesham at the 1747 British general election and joined the Leicester House party. He was put down to have a peerage and the pay office when the Prince came to the throne. After Frederick's death in 1751 he attached himself to Newcastle in the hopes of a peerage .[
At the 1754 British general election, Rushout was returned head of the poll for Evesham after a contest. At the 1761 British general election, he stood together with his son, and after another hard contest they were both returned. He became the longest standing member (]Father of the House of Commons
Father of the House is a title that has been traditionally bestowed, unofficially, on certain members of some legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the title refers to the longest continuously- ...
) in 1762. In the debates on Wilkes's privilege in November 1763, he spoke against Grenville's Administration, and voted against them in the division on general warrants in February 1764. He opposed the repeal of the cider duty, despite representing a cider producing county. He became less regular in his attendance and retired on account of age at the 1768 British general election.
Death and legacy
Rushout died on 2 February 1775 leaving a son and two daughters. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
.[
]
References
Sources
*''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
''
*
Catalogue Notes for the portrait by Godfrey Kneller
'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rushout, John
1685 births
1775 deaths
Baronets in the Baronetage of England
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain
People educated at Eton College
British MPs 1713–1715
British MPs 1715–1722
British MPs 1722–1727
British MPs 1727–1734
British MPs 1734–1741
British MPs 1741–1747
British MPs 1747–1754
British MPs 1754–1761
British MPs 1768–1774