General Sir James Murray Pulteney, 7th Baronet PC (c. 1755 – 26 April 1811)[1] was a Scottish soldier and British politician.
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Born James Murray, he was the eldest son of Colonel Sir Robert Murray, 6th Baronet and his first wife Janet Murray, a younger sister of Patrick Murray, 5th Lord Elibank.[2] Murray succeeded his father as baronet in 1771, while still a minor.[2] He was educated at Westminster School and joined then the British Army.[3]
Murray had had his first commission purchased in his mid-teens, as lieutenant in the 19th Regiment of Foot in 1770.[3] Already a year later, he became captain in the 57th Regiment of Foot.[4] He left for Europe in 1792 and having spent the time travelling, he returned to his regiment in Ireland in November 1775.[3] With begin of the next year, Murray embarked for The Colonies to serve in the American War of Independence.[4] He was wounded at the ankle during the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777, and shared his convalescence with his cousin Patrick Ferguson.[5] Soon after recovering, he was shot through the thigh at the Battle of White Marsh in November.[5]
Murray purchased a majorship in 1778, serving with the 4th Regiment of Foot in the West Indies and was involved in the Battle of St Lucia.[4] He became lieutenant-colonel of the 94th Regiment of Foot in 1780[6] and on the regiment's disbandmend after three years was set on halfpay.[4] In 1789, he was transferred to active duty and was appointed an aide-de-camp to King George III of the United Kingdom, ranked as a colonel.[7] Murray was sent to Koblenz, the headquarter of the allied forces against the French Revolutionary Armies.[3] He was attached as adjudant to the Frederick, Duke of York in April 1793, fighting in Flanders,[8] and was promoted to major-general in December.[9] In 1794, he received command of the 18th Regiment of Foot[10] and led his regiment to suppress the Irish Rebellion of 1798.[3] A year thereafter, in June 1799 Pulteney (he had taken the name of Pulteney in 1794) was made a lieutenant-general[11] and in November was wounded in the Helder Campaign, having been second in command.[12] He commanded the Ferrol Expedition in August 1800 and sailed then to Gibraltar, before returning to England.[4] In 1808 he became a full general.[13]
In 1790, he entered the British House of Commons, sitting as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis until his death in 1811.[3] Murray-Pulteney was sworn off the Privy Council in 1807, when he became Secretary at War, a post he held for two years.[3]
On 24 July 1794, he married Henriette Laura Pulteney, 1st Baroness Bath, daughter of his cousin Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet in Bath House, London.[14] Two days before he had by Royal Licence assumed the surname Pulteney only to inherit his wife's relative Harry Pulteney.[15] Henrietta was raised to a countess in her own right in 1803[16] and inherited also the estates of her father in 1805, worth about £50,000 per year.[17] She predeceased her husband in 1808 and Murray survived her for three years, dying in Buckenham in Norfolk, from complications after losing an eye when a powder-flask accidentally exploded in his face.[18] He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his halfbrother John.[2]
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Thomas Rumbold John Purling Wellbore Ellis Gabriel Steward |
Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis 1790 – 1801 With: Thomas Jones 1790–1791 Richard Bempde Johnstone 1790–1796 Andrew Stuart 1790–1801 Sir James Johnstone 1791–1794 Gabriel Tucker Steward 1794–1801 William Garthshore 1796–1801 |
Succeeded by Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Parliament of Great Britain |
Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis 1801 – 1811 With: Gabriel Tucker Steward 1801–1810 William Garthshore 1801–1806 Charles Adams 1801–1811 Richard Augustus Tucker Steward 1806–1811 Sir John Lowther Johnstone 1810–1811 |
Succeeded by Sir John Murray, 8th Bt Sir John Lowther Johnstone Richard Augustus Tucker Steward Charles Adams |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir John Sebright, 6th Bt |
Colonel of the 18th Regiment of Foot 1794–1811 |
Succeeded by The Lord Hutchinson |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Richard Fitzpatrick |
Secretary at War 1807 – 1809 |
Succeeded by Lord Granville Leveson-Gower |
| Baronetage of Nova Scotia | ||
| Preceded by Robert Murray |
Baronet (of Dalrany) 1771 – 1811 |
Succeeded by John Murray |