| The Right Honourable The Lord de Blaquiere KCB, PC, FRS |
|
|---|---|
| Lord de Blaquiere. | |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | |
| In office 1772–1777 |
|
| Monarch | George III |
| Preceded by | George Macartney |
| Succeeded by | Sir Richard Heron, Bt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 May 1732 |
| Died | 27 August 1812 Bray, County Wicklow |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Eleanor Dobson (c. 1756-1833) |
John Blaquiere, 1st Baron de Blaquiere KCB, PC (15 May 1732 – 27 August 1812), known as Sir John Blaquiere, Bt, from 1784 to 1800, was a British soldier, diplomat and politician of French descent. He served as Chief Secretary for Ireland between 1772 and 1777.
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Blaquiere was the fifth son of Jean de Blaquiere, a French merchant who had emigrated to England in 1685, and his wife Marie Elizabeth de Varennes.[1]
Blaquiere at first served in the Army, in the 18th Dragoons (later the 17th Dragoons), where he achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1771 Blaquiere was appointed Secretary of Legation at the British Embassy in Paris, a post he held until 1772. The latter year Lord Harcourt, the British Ambassador in Paris, was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and Blaquiere joined him as Chief Secretary for Ireland.[1] He was admitted to the Privy Council of Ireland the same year[1][2] and made a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath two years later.[1]
Blaquiere was to remain Chief Secretary until Harcourt's resignation in January 1777.[1] He had been elected to the Irish House of Commons for Old Leighlin in 1773, a seat he held until 1783. After representing Enniskillen for a few months in 1783, he sat than for Carlingford from 1783 to 1790, for Charleville from 1790 to 1798 and for Newtownards from 1798 to the Act of Union in 1801.[1][3] Blaquiere was created a Baronet, of Ardkill in the County of Londonderry, in 1784, and raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron de Blaquiere, of Ardkill in the County of Londonderry, in 1800, for his support for the Act of Union.[1] Lord de Blaquiere also sat as a Member of the British House of Commons for Rye from 1801 to 1802[1][4] and for Downton from 1802 to 1806.[1][5]
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1803. [6]
Lord de Blaquiere married Eleanor, daughter of Robert Dodson, in 1775. They had four sons, including Peter de Blaquière, and three daughters. Lord de Blaquiere died at Bray, County Wicklow, in August 1812, aged 80. He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son, John. Lady de Blaquiere died at Regent's Park, Marylebone, London, in December 1833.[1]
| Parliament of Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir FitzGerald Aylmer, 6th Bt Thomas Monck |
Member of Parliament for Old Leighlin 1773 – 1783 With: Sir FitzGerald Aylmer, 6th Bt 1773–1776 Hugh Massy 1776–1777 Robert Jephson 1777–1783 |
Succeeded by Hon. Henry Luttrell Hon. Arthur Acheson |
| Preceded by Henry Flood John Leigh |
Member of Parliament for Enniskillen 1783 With: John McClintock |
Succeeded by James Stewart John McClintock |
| Preceded by Hon. Thomas Knox Theophilus Blakeney |
Member of Parliament for Carlingford 1783 – 1790 With: Thomas Coghlan |
Succeeded by Sir Charles des Voeux, 1st Bt James Blaquiere |
| Preceded by Rogerson Cotter Richard St George |
Member of Parliament for Charleville 1790 – 1798 With: Rogerson Cotter |
Succeeded by Rogerson Cotter Charles Boyle |
| Preceded by Hon. Richard Annesley John La Touche |
Member of Parliament for Newtownards 1798 – 1801 With: Robert Alexander 1798–1800 Hon. Du Pre Alexander 1800–1801 |
Succeeded by Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Lord Hawkesbury Robert Saunders-Dundas |
Member of Parliament for Rye 1801 – 1802 With: Lord Hawkesbury |
Succeeded by Lord Hawkesbury Thomas Davis Lamb |
| Preceded by Hon. Edward Bouverie Hon. John Ward |
Member of Parliament for Downton 1803 – 1806 With: Hon. John Ward 1803 Viscount Marsham 1803–1806 |
Succeeded by Hon. Bartholomew Bouverie Hon. Duncombe Pleydell-Bouverie |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by George Macartney |
Chief Secretary for Ireland 1772 – 1777 |
Succeeded by Sir Richard Heron, Bt |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| New creation | Baron de Blaquiere 1800 – 1812 |
Succeeded by John de Blaquiere |
| Baronetage of Ireland | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Ardkill) 1784 – 1812 |
Succeeded by John de Blaquiere |