Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Sir Richard King, 1st Baronet (10 August 1730 – 7 November 1806) was a British naval officer and colonial governor.

Naval career

King was born in

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a pop ...

, the son of Curtis King and Mary Barnett. He joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

in 1738 and served on HMS ''Berwick''.Biography at Government House ''The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador''
/ref> In 1745 made a lieutenant in HMS ''Tiger'' and in 1756 he was promoted to commander of the fireship HMS ''Blaze''. He took part in the capture of

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

in 1756 and commanded the landing party at the capture of Hoogly in 1757.Sir Richard King at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
/ref> In 1763 he was given command of HMS ''Grafton'' and in 1770 he took over HMS ''Northumberland''. He went on to command HMS ''Pallas'' from 1778 and HMS ''Exeter'' from 1779. He was knighted in 1782 for his services near

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, India. Promoted Rear Admiral in 1787, he was appointed commander-in-chief of The Downs in 1790. In 1792 he became a

baronet 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 was made commander-in-chief and

Governor of Newfoundland The lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador () is the representative in Newfoundland and Labrador of the monarch, who Monarchy in Newfoundland and Labrador, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Cana ...

. While King was in office

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

had declared war on

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

and King captured St. Pierre and Miquelon for the British and was promoted Vice-Admiral in 1793. He was elected Member of Parliament for Rochester in 1794, holding the seat until 1802. In 1794 he was appointed

Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this offi ...

Monthly magazine and British register, Volume 22, p. 600
/ref> and in 1795 promoted to Admiral.

Family

In 1769 he married Susannah Margaretta Coker; they had four recorded children including his son

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

References

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Richard 1730 births 1806 deaths Royal Navy admirals Governors of Newfoundland Colony Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802

Naval career

Family

See also

References

External links