Willoughby Gordon
| Sir Willoughby Gordon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 October 1772 |
| Died | 4 January 1851 |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | Peninsular War |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order |
General Sir James Willoughby Gordon, 1st Baronet GCB GCH (21 October 1772 – 4 January 1851) was Quartermaster-General to the Forces.
Early life
He was the son of William Grant, later William Grant Gordon, and his wife Barbara Gordon of the Gordons of Knockspoke.
Military career
Gordon was commissioned into the 66th Regiment of Foot in 1783.[1]
He was appointed Assistant Adjutant General in Ireland in 1795 and then became Deputy Adjutant-General in the West Indies in 1801.[1] He was Aide de Camp and Military Secretary to the Duke of Kent, He returned to England in 1803 to become Assistant Quartermaster-General.[1] He was made Military Secretary to the Commander-in-Chief in 1804 and was then Commissary-in-Chief to the Forces from 1809.[1] He was made Lieutenant General in 1825.
He was Quartermaster-General to the Forces from 1811 to 1851.[1] During this time, he was one of the many present for the Robert Adams' narration of his adventures as a Barbary slave in North Africa. Despite the veracity of this narration being questioned by many during this time, Gordon publicly proclaimed his faith in the truth of Adams' story, announcing that "if he proved an imposter, he will be the second only to Psalmanazar." Gordon's support of Adams was very significant, due to the controversial nature of The Narrative of Robert Adams.[2]
Honours
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1801. He was made Baronet Gordon of Northcourt in the Isle of Wight in 1818 and awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order (GCH) in 1825 and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (KGB) in 1831.[3]
He was also Member of Parliament for Launceston from 1830 to 1831.[4]
Family
His only son Henry Percy Gordon was senior wrangler at the University of Cambridge in 1827.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 British Generals of the Napoleonic Wars 1793-1815
- ↑ Adams, Charles Hansford (2005). The Narrative of Robert Adams: A Barbary Captive. New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. xxi. ISBN 978-0-521-60373-7.
- ↑ "Library Archive". Royal Society. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
- ↑ Leigh Rayment
- ↑ Neale, Charles Montague (1907). The senior wranglers of the University of Cambridge, from 1748 to 1907. With biographical, & c., notes. Bury St. Edmunds: Groom and Son. p. 31. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir James Gordon
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir William Clinton |
Military Secretary 1804–1809 |
Succeeded by Sir Henry Torrens |
| Preceded by Sir Robert Brownrigg |
Quartermaster-General to the Forces 1811–1851 |
Succeeded by Sir James Freeth |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Pownoll Pellew |
Member of Parliament for Launceston 1830–1831 With: James Brogden |
Succeeded by John Malcolm |