Edward Finch (diplomat)
Edward Finch-Hatton (c.1697 – 16 May 1771) was a diplomat and politician.
He was born Hon. Edward Finch, 5th son of Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham and of Hon. Anne Hatton daughter and in her issue sole heiress of Christopher Hatton, 1st Viscount Hatton.[1] He was educated at a school at Isleworth and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he obtained an M.A. in 1718.[2] He then went on the Grand Tour from 1720 to 1723, visiting France, Italy and Hanover.[3]
In 1724, he commenced a diplomatic career, representing Great Britain as envoy-extraordinary to the imperial diet of Regensburg in the winter of 1724 to 1725, then successively as Minister to Poland, Sweden and Russia between 1725 and 1742, spending the longest period as minister in Stockholm, from 1728 to 1739. On his return to England he was appointed groom of the bedchamber to the King, a post he held despite changes of government until 1756. He became Master of the Robes in June 1757 and surveyor of the king's private roads in November 1760.[3]
He served as Member of Parliament for Cambridge University from 1727 until he retired from public life in 1768. In 1764, he took the additional surname Hatton in accordance with the will of his great aunt Anne Hatton,[3] on inheriting property from her. He married Elizabeth Palmer, daughter of Sir Thomas Palmer, 4th Baronet, of Wingham on 9 September 1746. They had two sons and three daughters. The eldest son George Finch-Hatton became an MP, and his son George Finch-Hatton succeeded as 10th Earl of Winchilsea and 5th Earl of Nottingham.[1]
References
- 1 2 Burke's Peerage (1939 edn), s.v. Winchilsea, Earl.
- ↑ "Finch, Edward (FNC713E)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- 1 2 3 [Anon.], ‘Hatton, Edward Finch- (1697?–1771)’, rev. R. D. E. Eagles, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, (Oxford University Press, 2004) , accessed 12 Oct 2008
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Willoughby Dixie Windsor |
Member of Parliament for Cambridge University with Thomas Townshend 1727–1768 |
Succeeded by Charles Yorke Thomas Townshend |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by ? |
Envoy-extraordinary to the Imperial Diet of Regensburg 1724–1725 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by ? |
British Minister to Poland 1725–1727 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by Stephen Poyntz |
British Ambassador to Sweden 1728–1739 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by Hon. John Campbell |
British Envoy to Russia 1739–1742 |
Succeeded by Melchior Guy-Dickens |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by Augustus Schutz |
Master of the Robes 1757–1760 |
Succeeded by Hon. James Brudenell |
| Keeper of the Privy Purse 1757–1760 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Bute | |
| Preceded by Sir Henry Erskine, Bt. |
Surveyor of the King's Private Roads 1760–1771 |
Succeeded by Thomas Whateley |