Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham

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Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham PC (October 24, 1675–September 14, 1749) was a British soldier and politician.

Temple was born to a Whig family in the family estate of Stowe, located in Buckinghamshire. After attending Eton College and Cambridge University, Temple entered the military. However, at the age of 21, he inherited his father's baronetcy. By the age of 26, he was a lieutenant colonel, and he became a lieutenant general at 34, which was an extremely young age. He had especially distinguished himself, like many other famous officers, during the Duke of Marlborough's campaigns in the War of the Spanish Succession, especially during the Siege at Lille. He married heiress Anne Halsey, whose rich ancestry allowed him to extensively work on the estate of Stowe, while buying off two cousins to keep them from inheriting the estate. When King George I ascended to the throne, he awarded Temple various peerages, first Baron Cobham in 1714, then Viscount and Baron Cobham (with special remainder) in 1718.

Temple's socioeconomic position moved high with the receipt of these styles and monies. In 1711, he made drastic changes to the estate of Stowe. As he made extensive renovations to the estate, he called upon the royal gardener, Charles Bridgeman, and his friend, John Vanbrugh, a skilled architect. When Vanbrugh died in 1726, though, he was replaced by another skilled architect, James Gibbs. Meanwhile, Cobham had become the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire. However, when he began disagreeing with Prime Minister Robert Walpole, he moved to the opposition party, probably causing his replacement by the Duke of Marlborough. Nevertheless, he was ultimately given the rank of field marshal on March 28, 1742.

Cobham was admired by Alexander Pope, and Cobham's gardens were praised by Pope in his Epistle to Burlington as a wonder. Pope wrote a "moral epistle" to Cobham in 1733 and published it in 1734 as The Epistle to Cobham. By 1734, Cobham had gone from government to opposition and had formed a faction in the Whig Party to oppose the Excise Bill of Robert Walpole. Pope praises Cobham as a practical man of the world whose "ruling passion" was service to his country, whatever the cost.

Cobham was also involved in the 1739 creation of the nation's first childcare charity, the Foundling Hospital, for which he was a founding governor.

[edit] Reference

• Permanent Lieutenants of Buckinghamshire

Parliament of England
Preceded by Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Bt. Alexander Denton	Member for Buckingham with Alexander Denton 1697–1698, Sir Edmund Denton 1698–1702 1697–1702	Succeeded by Sir Edmund Denton Roger Price
Preceded by The Viscount Newhaven Goodwin Egerton	Member for Buckinghamshire with The Viscount Newhaven 1704–1705, Robert Dormer 1705–1706, William Egerton 1706–1708 1704–1708	Succeeded by Sir Edmund Denton, 1st Bt. Richard Hampden
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Sir Edmund Denton Roger Price	Member for Buckingham with Sir Edmund Denton 1705	Succeeded by Sir Edmund Denton Browne Willis
Preceded by Sir Edmund Denton Browne Willis	Member for Buckingham with Alexander Denton 1708–1710, Thomas Chapman 1710–1713 1708–1713	Succeeded by Thomas Chapman John Radcliffe
Honorary Titles
Preceded by The Duke of Bridgwater	Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire 1728–1738	Succeeded by The Duke of Marlborough
Preceded by New Creation	Viscount Cobham 1718–1749	Succeeded by Hester Temple
Preceded by New Creation	Baron Cobham 1714–1749
Preceded by Richard Temple	Baronet (of Stow) 1697–1749	Succeeded by William Temple