John Montagu (Royal Navy officer)

John Montagu
Born	c.1719 Lackham, Wiltshire
Died	7 September 1795(1795-09-07) (aged 75–76) Fareham, Hampshire
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service / branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1733–1795
Rank	Admiral
Commands	HMS Hinchinbrook HMS Rose HMS Ambuscade HMS Tilbury HMS Greenwich HMS Bristol HMS Kent HMS Mermaid HMS Elizabeth HMS Monarch HMS Raisonnable HMS Panther HMS Terrible HMS Newark HMS Princess Amelia HMS Magnanime HMS Dragon HMS Bellona Downs Station North American Station Newfoundland Station Portsmouth Command
Battles / wars	War of the Austrian Succession Battle of Toulon First Battle of Cape Finisterre Seven Years' War Battle of Cartagena Capture of Belle Île American Revolutionary War
Alma mater	Royal Naval Academy
Member of Parliament for Huntingdon
In office 1748–1754
Preceded by	2 MPs
Succeeded by	2 MPs

Admiral John Montagu (1719–1795) was an English naval officer and colonial governor of Newfoundland.

Naval career

He was born in 1719, son of James Montagu of Lackham, Lacock, Wiltshire (died 1747), and great-grandson of James Montagu of Lackham (1602–1665), third son of Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester.^[1] Montagu began his naval career in the Royal Naval Academy, Portsmouth on 14 August 1733.^[2]

He was promoted lieutenant in 1740 and served on HMS Buckingham and, in 1744, was present at the Battle of Toulon.^[2] In 1757 he was present at the execution of Admiral John Byng.^[2] Promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1770, he served as Commander-in-Chief of the North American Station from 1771 to 1774.^[2]

In June 1772, Montagu was involved in the Gaspee Affair as the commanding officer of Lieutenant William Duddingston, where he unsuccessfully tried to identify and have prosecuted the raiders who attacked Dudingston's ship.^[3]

He was promoted Vice-Admiral in 1776 and then appointed Governor and commander-in-chief of Newfoundland.^[2] Montagu captured St. Pierre and Miquelon for the British and defended Newfoundland from both French and American privateers.^[2] By his swift actions he had prevented the French from capturing Carbonear and Harbour Grace.^[2]

In 1783 he was made Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.^[4] He was promoted to Admiral of the Blue in 1782 and Admiral of the White in 1787.^[2]

Family

Montagu married Sophia Wroughton on 2 December 1748 and had one daughter and four sons. Of his sons, George and James became naval officers, while Edward became a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Artillery. His daughter Sophia lived at Dale Park and the house there was constructed for her and her husband.^[5]

References

1. Laughton, John Knox (1894). "Montagu, John (1719-1795)" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 38. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
2. Biography at Government House The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador
3. Middlekauff, Robert (2005). The glorious cause : the American Revolution, 1763-1789. New York, NY. p. 220. ISBN 0-19-516247-1. OCLC 55960833.
4. History in Portsmouth Archived 27 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine
5. Jacob M. Price, 'Smith, John Abel (1802–1871)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 accessed 16 April 2017

See also

• Governors of Newfoundland
• List of people of Newfoundland and Labrador

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Edward Montagu Kelland Courtenay	Member of Parliament for Huntingdon 1748–1754 With: Edward Montagu	Succeeded by Edward Montagu Robert Jones
Military offices
Preceded by James Gambier	Commander-in-Chief, North American Station 1771–1774	Succeeded by Samuel Graves
Political offices
Preceded by Robert Duff	Commodore Governor of Newfoundland 1776–1778	Succeeded by Richard Edwards
Military offices
Preceded by Thomas Pye	Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth 1783–1786	Succeeded by Viscount Hood