Sir John Eden, 4th Baronet (16 September 1740 – 23 August 1812), 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 ...

between 1774 and 1790. Eden was the eldest son of Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet and his wife Mary Davison of Beamish, county Durham, and was born on 16 September 1740. He succeeded his father in 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 ...

on 25 June 1755. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

from 1755 to 1758 and at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

in 1759. He married firstly Catherine Thompson daughter of John Thompson of Kirby Hall, Yorkshire on 26 June 1764. She died in March 1766.The Annual Peerage of the British Empire
p. 54 Secondly he married Dorothea Johnson, of York on 9 April 1767. They had 10 children. 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 ...

he was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for Durham County and was a supporter of Lord North's administration. He was returned again in

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 ...

although it was said of him shortly after that 'He holds the business of the House in great contempt, generally comes down after dinner, and is always the first to call for the question.' He was re-elected in 1784 and at the time of the Regency crisis in 1788 complained of being recalled to parliament. There is no record of his ever having spoken in the House and appeared to prefer hunting to spending time at parliament. In 1789 he became anxious about his seat citing the threat of "an alien banker". His younger brother

William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire), Royal Society, FRS (3 April 174528 May 1814) was a British diplomat and politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons from 1774 to 1793. Early life A m ...

, also reportedly opposed his run in 1790, and John was defeated in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

.Whig Organization in the General Election of 1790
p. 200 Eden died on 23 August 1812. Following his death, he was buried in St. Helen's Church, Durham on the 29th August 1812.

References

Sources

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Eden, Sir John, 4th Baronet 1740 births 1812 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 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 Baronets in the Baronetage of England