George Augustus Selwyn (MP)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George Augustus Selwyn (11 August 1719 – 25 January 1791) was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Parliament of Great Britain.
Selwyn was a man who spent 44 years in the House of Commons without being recorded as making a speech. He put his electoral interest, as the person who controlled both seats in Ludgershall and one in Gloucester, at the disposal of the King's ministers (whoever they might be), because he was financially dependent on obtaining (a total of three) sinecure offices and a pension, which offset his expenses of bribing the electorate, and his gambling debts.
He was MP for Ludgershall in 1747–1754 and for the constituency of Gloucester 1754–1780. After he lost his interest in Gloucester, Selwyn was again member for Ludgershall from 1780 until his death in 1791.
He was also elected for the Scottish constituency of Wigtown Burghs in 1768, when he thought he might be defeated at Gloucester. He was the first Englishman to be elected to Parliament by a constituency in Scotland. He chose to retain the English seat.
Contents |
[edit] Portraits
- George Augustus Selwyn and Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle (c.1770) by Sir Joshua Reynolds is in the possession of the present Earl of Carlisle at Castle Howard, Yorkshire.
- George Augustus Selwyn at the age of fifty-one by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, a pastelle drawn in 1770. This drawing is also in the possession of the Earl of Carlisle at Castle Howard.
- George Augustus Selwyn (1776) by Sir Joshua Reynolds was displayed at the Tate Gallery between 26/May & 18/September 2005
[edit] References
- History of Parliament: House of Commons 1754–1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and James Brooke (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1964)
- Jesse, John Heneage, George Selwyn and his contemporaries, London : Bickers & Son, 1882.
- George Selwyn; his letters and his life, edited by E.S. Roscoe and Helen Clergue, London, 1899.
- Sherwin, Oscar, A gentleman of wit and fashion: the extraordinary life and times of George Selwyn, New York : Twayne Publishers, (1963).
- George Augustus Selwyn (1719–1791) and France : unpublished correspondence, edited by Rex A. Barrell, Lewiston, N.Y., USA : E. Mellen Press, (c. 1990).
[edit] External links
- George Selwyn: His Letters and His Life by Helen Clergue
- George Augustus Selwyn by Sir Joshua Reynolds
[edit] References
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Selwyn Thomas Hayward |
Member of Parliament for Ludgershall with Thomas Farrington 1747–1754 |
Succeeded by Sir John Bland Thomas Hayward |
| Preceded by Charles Barrow Benjamin Bathurst |
Member of Parliament for Gloucester with Charles Barrow 1754–1780 |
Succeeded by Charles Barrow John Webb |
| Preceded by Sir Peniston Lamb Lord George Gordon |
Member of Parliament for Ludgershall with Sir Peniston Lamb 1780-1784 Nathaniel Wraxall 1784-1790 Hon. William Assheton Harbord 1790-1791 1780–1791 |
Succeeded by Hon. William Assheton Harbord Samuel Smith |
 |
This article about a Member of the Parliament of Great Britain (1707–1800) is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
