Sir John Anstruther, 4th Baronet

Sir John Anstruther

Sir John Anstruther, 4th Baronet and 1st Baronet PC (27 March 1753 – 26 January 1811) was a Scottish politician.

The second son of Sir John Anstruther, 2nd Baronet, he was knighted in 1797, raised to the Baronetage of Great Britain in 1798,^[1] and also succeeded as 4th Baronet in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia on the death of his elder brother, Philip, in 1808.^[2]

He served as Member of Parliament for Anstruther Burghs, in Fife, from 1783–1790, 1796–1797 and 1806–1811, and for Cockermouth, in Cumbria, England, from 1790-1796. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1806.

Life

He was the second son of Sir John Anstruther of Elie House, Fife. He was born 27 March 1753, educated at Glasgow University under John Millar, and called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1779. He practised chiefly before the House of Lords in Scotch appeals; and was M.P. for Cockermouth, 1790-96.

He was an active supporter of Charles James Fox, and one of the managers appointed to conduct the Impeachment of Warren Hastings, his duty being to sum up the evidence on the charge relating to Benares, and to open the charge relating to presents. In 1797 he was appointed chief justice of Bengal, and created a baronet; in 1806 he returned to England, and was sworn on the privy council. He re-entered parliament as member for the Anstruther district of burghs.

In 1808 he succeeded to his father's baronetcy; and died in London 26 January 1811.

References

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Anstruther, John". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.