Sir George Bowyer, 6th and 2nd Baronet, KStJ, GCSG, KCPO (3 March 1783 – 1 July 1860),[1] was a British politician. He sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1807 and 1818, first as a Tory[2] and then as a Whig.[3]
Sir George Bowyer, Bt | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Abingdon | |
In office 1811–1818 | |
Preceded by | Henry Bowyer |
Succeeded by | John Maberly |
Member of Parliament for Malmesbury | |
In office 1807–1810 Serving with Philip Gell | |
Preceded by | Robert Ladbroke Nicholas Ridley-Colborne |
Succeeded by | Abel Smith Philip Gell |
Personal details | |
Born | Radley Hall, Berkshire | 3 March 1783
Died | 1 July 1860 Dresden, Germany | (aged 77)
Spouse | Anne Hammond Douglas (after 1808) |
Relations | Piercy Brett (grandfather) |
Children | 4 |
Parent(s) | Sir George Bowyer, 5th Baronet Henrietta Brett |
Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
Early life
He was the son of Admiral Sir George Bowyer, 5th Baronet, and his second wife Henrietta Brett, daughter of Admiral Sir Piercy Brett,[4] and was born at Radley Hall in Berkshire.[5]
In 1800, he succeeded his father as baronet.[1] Bowyer was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1804 and a Master of Arts in 1807.[6]
Career
He was commissioned as a captain in the Berkshire Militia on 16 May 1803, but resigned on 13 March 1804.[7]
At the 1807 general election, Bowyer was elected in the Tory interest as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Malmesbury,[2] a seat which he held until his resignation in 1810[8]by appointment as Steward of the Manor of East Hendred.[9]
He returned to Parliament the following year as a Whig, when he was elected at an unopposed by-election in June 1811 as the MP for Abingdon, following the resignation of Henry Bowyer.[3][10] He was re-elected in 1812, defeating his Tory opponent by a margin of 112 votes to 11,[3] and held the seat until the 1818 general election.[11] In 1815, financial difficulties forced him to sell the contents of Radley Hall.[12] As a consequence, he moved with his family to Italy, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1850.[12]
Personal life
On 19 November 1808, he married Anne Hammond Douglas, oldest daughter of Captain Sir Andrew Snape Douglas.[7][13] They had three sons and a daughter.[14]
Bowyer died at Dresden in Germany, but was buried at Radley. He was succeeded in both baronetcies successively by his sons George and William.[5][7]
Honours
Bowyer was a Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ), a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great (GCSG) and a Knight Commander of the Order of Pius IX (KCPO).[15]