Sir Henry Strachey, 1st Baronet

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Sir Henry Strachey, 1st Baronet (23 May 17373 January 1810), was a British civil servant and politician.

Strachey was the eldest son of Henry Strachey, of Sutton Court, Somerset, and his first wife Helen, daughter of Robert Clerk, a Scottish physician. His grandfather was the geologist John Strachey and his great-grandfather John Strachey was a friend of John Locke. He was appointed private secretary to Lord Clive in India in 1762, a position he held until 1768, when he was returned to Parliament for Pontefract. He sat for this constituency until 1774, and later represented Bishop's Castle from 1774 to 1778 and from 1780 to 1802, Saltash from 1774 to 1780 and East Grinstead from 1802 to 1807. Strachey was Clerk of the Deliveries of the Ordnance from 1778 to 1780 and Principal Storekeeper of the Ordnance from 1780 to 1780 and in 1783 and served under the Marquess of Rockingham as Joint Secretary to the Treasury in 1782 and under the Earl of Shelburne as Joint Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1782 to 1783. He took part in the peace negotiations with the American colonies in Paris in 1783 with Richard Oswald representing British and John Jay, Johns Adams and Benjamin Franklin representing the Americas. This resulted in the treaty of Paris. He later served as Master of the Household between 1794 and 1810. In 1801 he was created a Baronet, of Sutton Court in the County of Somerset.

Strachey married Jane, only daughter of John Kelsall, in 1770. They had three sons and one daughter. His second son Edward Strachey was the father of John Strachey and Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Strachey and the grandfather of Lytton Strachey, James Strachey, Oliver Strachey and Dorothy Bussy. Other descendants of Strachey include the Liberal politician Edward Strachey, 1st Baron Strachie, the journalist John Strachey and the Labour politician John Strachey. Strachey died in January 1810, aged 72, and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son Henry. Lady Strachey died in 1824.

[edit] References

  • Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
  • Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
  • Stephen, Sir Leslie; Lee, Sir Sydney (editors). The Dictionary of National Biography. Volume XXII, Supplement. Oxford University Press.
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
The Viscount Galway
Sir Rowland Winn
Member of Parliament for Pontefract
with The Viscount Galway 1768–1772
The Viscount Galway 1772–1774
Robert Monckton 1774

1768–1774
Succeeded by
Sir John Goodricke
Charles Mellish
Preceded by
George Clive
Alexander Wedderburn
Member of Parliament for Bishop's Castle
with George Clive

1774–1778
Succeeded by
George Clive
Alexander Wedderburn
Preceded by
Grey Cooper
Sir Charles Whitworth
Member of Parliament for Saltash
with Grey Cooper

1778–1780
Succeeded by
Grey Cooper
Charles Jenkinson
Preceded by
Alexander Wedderburn
William Clive
Member of Parliament for Bishop's Castle
with William Clive

1780–1801
Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Parliament of Great Britain
Member of Parliament for Bishop's Castle
with William Clive

1801–1802
Succeeded by
William Clive
John Robinson
Preceded by
Nathaniel Dance
Charles Ellis
Member of Parliament for East Grinstead
with Daniel Giles

1802–1807
Succeeded by
Charles Ellis
Richard Wellesley
Court offices
Preceded by
Sir Francis Henry Drake
Master of the Household
1794–1810
Succeeded by
William Kenrick
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
New creation
Baronet
(of Sutton Court)
1801–1810
Succeeded by
Henry Strachey