John Buller (1721–1786) was a British politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

for 39 years from 1747 to 1786.

Early life and career

Buller was the son of John Francis Buller, M.P. and his wife Rebecca Trelawny, daughter of

Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 3rd Baronet Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 3rd Baronet (24 March 1650 – 19 July 1721) was Bishop of Bristol, Bishop of Exeter and Bishop of Winchester. Trelawny is best known for his role in the events leading up to the Glorious Revolution which are sometimes ...

bishop of Winchester and was born on 24 Jan. 1721. He matriculated at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

on 25 October 1738. He entered

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

in 1740 and

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1743 and was called to the bar in February 1747. In 1746 he was mayor of East Looe and in the 1747 general election he was returned as Member of Parliament for East Looe. In 1754 Buller was re-elected MP for East Looe and in the same year was appointed Comptroller of the Mint. He was also mayor of East Looe again and appointed Recorder of East Looe in 1754. From 1759 to 1761 he was secretary to the

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...

. He married Mary St Aubyn, daughter of Sir John St Aubyn, 3rd Baronet on 3 March 1760. Buller was re-elected MP for East Looe in

1761 Events January–March * January 14 – Third Battle of Panipat: In India, the armies of the Durrani Empire from Afghanistan, led by Ahmad Shah Durrani and his coalition decisively defeat the Maratha Confederacy, killing over 1 ...

. He was mayor of West Looe by

mandamus A writ of (; ) is a judicial remedy in the English and American common law system consisting of a court order that commands a government official or entity to perform an act it is legally required to perform as part of its official duties, o ...

in 1763, and 1764. In July 1765 he was

Lord of the Admiralty This is a list of lords commissioners of the Admiralty (incomplete before the Restoration, 1660). The lords commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of the Board of Admiralty, which exercised the office of Lord High Admiral when it was ...

, a post he held until September 1780. He was re-elected MP for East Looe in

1768 Events January–March * January 9 – Philip Astley stages the first modern circus, with acrobats on galloping horses, in London. * February 11 – Samuel Adams's circular letter is issued by the Massachusetts House of Re ...

. Following the death of his first wife in August 1767, he remarried to Elizabeth Caroline Hunter, daughter of John Hunter on 4 November 1768. He was again mayor of East Looe in 1772 and in the same year became auditor of the

Duchy of Cornwall A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...

. He was returned again as MP for East Looe in

1774 Events January–March * January 21 – Mustafa III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I. * January 27 ** An angry crowd in Boston, Massachusetts seizes, tars, and feathers British customs ...

and

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to all ...

. He was

Lord of the Treasury In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords (or Ladies) Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second L ...

from September 1780 to March 1782 and again in December 1783. He was lastly returned as MP for East Looe in

1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Brit ...

Death

Buller died on 26 July 1786.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buller, John 1721 births 1786 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Members of the Middle Temple Members of the Inner Temple Mayors of places in Cornwall British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Lords of the Admiralty John, 1721